I Told You Once I'd Be There For You
by civillove
Summary: Something was wrong with Rachel Berry; something that had her wearing sweatpants and working at Sheets n Things. Finn was totally aware of his relationship with Quinn but he couldn't stop the constant pull of needing know what was wrong with his ex.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: I Told You Once I'd Be There For You  
**Pairing**: Sam/Rachel friendship that borderlines on them dating; eventual Finchel…because its endgame people.  
**Summery**: Something was wrong with Rachel Berry; something that had her wearing sweatpants and working at Sheets n Things—stacking rugs and shower curtains. Finn was totally aware of his relationship with Quinn but he couldn't stop the constant pull of needing to know what was wrong with his ex-girlfriend.  
**Type: **Multi-chapter story  
**Rating**: PG-13  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything but the idea :)  
**Author's note**: This takes place after Regional's; Quinn and Finn have made their relationship public. And in this story Sam and Santana never dated. This Rachel/Sam friendship follows my one-shot _Honest Friends Are Hard to Come By._ It's not necessary to read that beforehand but it's a nice lead in to how close Rachel and Sam have gotten with their friendship.

Okay, so, first Finchel Fic! I'm sort of nervous, hope you all enjoy the first chapter! I will probably have the next chapter up tomorrow!

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Chapter 1:

Finn sighed, caught between an aisle for frilly toilet covers and towels at Sheets n Things. Where the hell were the throw pillows? He swore his mom said that he could find them here…He peeked his head down another aisle. _Maybe Kurt would like… _He picked up a rubber ducky shaped soap dispenser. _This? He likes to be clean and stuff…he's always in the shower for like, hours_… He put the duck down. _Kind of lame for a birthday present_.

He talked it over with his mom because he wasn't sure what to get Kurt for his birthday. He knew the guy but not well enough to shop for him. He was fond of decorating—he ignored the pang in his heart over the small incident, _who am I kidding? A huge incident where I was an ass—_ when Kurt had decorated his and Finn's room in the new house for their new 'family'. Finn had kind of exploded, to say the least. He shook his head, pushing the thought out of his mind. Throw pillows. He thought it'd be perfect and his mom agreed. Throw pillows came in all different shapes and sizes and colors and…designs. He'd have plenty to choose from if he could just find the goddamn _aisle_.

He didn't really want to be there; ever since he had started dating Quinn and everything he was avoiding Sam like the plague. And back when Sam and Finn were friends, Sam had told him about the job he got at Sheets n Things and how he could get his mom a lot of discounts on bathroom supplies or things needed around the house.

Finn turned to go down another aisle and ran into lampshades. Why the hell was there an aisle dedicated to lampshades? He ran a hand through his hair, nearly fed up with being there, a fight from earlier with Quinn making a headache pinch behind his eyes. He heard a customer fighting with an employee a row over, yelling something about pink shower curtains. _God_. How shitty was that? Getting yelled at over pink shower curtains and what color towels customers were looking for? No, thank you. He'd take another job any day.

He froze when he recognized a voice—a light and airy voice. It sent an instant shudder down his spine. Rachel. Rachel Berry was in Sheets n Things. He left the row and turned to go down the next, following her voice. He watched her direct the customer—_wait,_ she was the employee?—down the row and to the left to where there were other shower curtains displayed.

"Rachel?" He asked.

She turned, wearing a pine green apron. It came down to rest just above her short blue skirt, gold stars scattered around the fabric. Her yellow tights were bright under the fluorescent lights. Her name tag displayed her name in bright red capital letters, gold star stickers surrounding her name. Finn didn't expect anything less from her to be honest.

She swallowed and looked towards the floor, like she was embarrassed. "Oh, hello Finn."

She picked up a stack of towels and carried them down the aisle, reaching up on her toes to stack them onto the shelf.

"You-you work here?" He tried to keep the shock out of his voice.

Finn never thought he'd see Rachel Berry working at Sheets n Things—stacking rugs, toilet covers and curtains. Those colors; red, purple and rose pink didn't even suit her. Her color was gold—like one of her shiny, star stickers. What the hell was she doing _here_?

Rachel nodded softly. "I needed the money."

Finn just stared at her, slightly amused at her trying to reach the top shelf to put away glass soap containers. He took it from her and easily set it on top. "For what?"

She just sighed and kept stacking. A long time ago, it felt like that anyways, he knew that there was one point in their relationship where she could have told him anything. There were moments where she never kept secrets from him—when she confided in him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked but Finn could sense that she didn't really care about his answer.

"I'm here to get a present for Kurt."

"Oh!" She turned to look at him, instantly engaged in what he was saying. He couldn't help the small smile that tugged at the corners of his lips as she grinned. "What did you have in mind? I bought a present for him last week," Course she had, she had always been more prepared than him. Never left things to the last minute. "I had several selections and even helped Blaine pick his present out—so I could definitely help you…if you want." She bit her lower lip nervously; he bit his tongue on telling her how cute it was.

He nodded. "That'd be great."

They started walking down the aisle, Rachel leading the way. "So how's Quinn?" Rachel muttered.

Finn sighed, annoyed. That headache was making itself more prominent. This was the last thing he wanted to talk about. This whole prom situation and Quinn's ever-so-obvious obsession with the damn dance and ending out on top was fraying the last of his nerves.

"I don't really want to talk about her," He didn't mean to snap at her. "Sorry, just—sore subject right now." He swallowed, sticking his hands in his pockets.

She nodded, seeming to understand.

"So throw pillows."

She nodded again, her hair shaking loose from her ponytail and framing her face a little. "Throw pillows."

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Rachel picked him out a blue throw pillow that was shaped like a frog. It had big eyes and green polka dots speckling its back. He wasn't sure if giving this to his half brother was such a good idea—but Rachel assured him that he would like it, or at least the thought of the present if nothing else. He trusted her; she must have known more about pillows and stuff than he did. Not to mention Kurt and her had been hanging out a lot—they had gotten closer and closer and became really good friends. Finn was glad Rachel was gaining more people in the friend department…she deserved people realizing how amazing she was.

"So, what did you get him?"

She smiled. "It's a surprise."

"You'll be there for his party on Saturday? It's at my house…uhm, I'm gonna decorate the basement and stuff with balloons or streamers. It's at one; you could bring cookies and baked goods if you want." God he missed those Snicker doodles of hers.

She nodded. "Sam is taking me. Would you like Snicker doodles?"

Finn couldn't even appreciate how she had read his mind or something because he was trying his hardest to mind his own business. Rachel had nothing to do with him anymore—heartfelt original song or not—his feelings for her were gone. God, they just _had_ to be, he had to move on. He was with Quinn now and annoying as this whole prom thing was with her, she was his first love…or something and he had to give her a chance. Regardless of how much he honestly didn't want to. Regardless of how much he tried to will those feelings away for the tiny brunette in front of him. No matter how hard he forced them away, the harder they came back, squeezing his heart like one of those cool anaconda snakes he saw on the Discovery channel.

"So you _are_ with Sam now." Couldn't keep the acid out of his voice. What happened to the control he had been working on?

"No, we're friends Finn…so, the cookies?"

_And when the hell did that happen? _He knew that Sam and Rachel had gotten close over Valentine's Day—became friends or whatever. He stuck up for her when Finn couldn't find the balls to do it. Eventually Santana stopped making rude remarks, which was a small miracle within itself, because she didn't want to deal with Sam retaliating on her to defend Rachel. Was he so far up Quinn's ass about this prom that he hadn't noticed Sam and her getting even closer than friends?

"Is this why you're working here?" Finn accused. "Because Sam does?" Too late; his motor mouth couldn't stop running at full speed.

He knew the moment his mouth opened that he regretted it. Her smile fell from her face and reshaped into a frown, her eyes glaring at him angrily. She stomped her foot and if Finn hadn't been so pissed he would have thought it was cute.

"I am friends with him, Finn! And even if we were dating, it'd be none of your business! I think you've made it clear that you want nothing to do with me." Her voice was shaking with emotion.

Rachel's word 'nothing' bounced around in his head. Had he really convinced her that she meant nothing to him? Because that wasn't true—she'd always mean something to him. She taught him to believe in himself—to believe that he was more than this hick town had to offer, that he could go places, that his voice could take him there. He swallowed a hard lump in his throat. She meant everything to him and he never should have taken that fact away from her.

His mouth opened, having a mind of its own. "I know what you're doing, trying to make me jealous. Rachel, I thought we were past this—"

"Not _everything_ is about you Finn!" She cut him off.

Finn closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as she angrily stacked packaged sheets onto a shelf and when she dropped one, she quickly snatched it up before he could pick it up for her.

"Sam helped me get the job." Were those tears in her eyes? A pang of guilt stabbed his chest.

"Because you needed the money…" He repeated her earlier statement softly.

She nodded once, her hands shaking as they smoothed down her apron.

"…but you can't tell me what for?"

He knew he didn't really have the right to ask her that sort of thing—to confide in him like that, not after how awful he was being to her. And for no goddamn reason! One moment he was just talking to her and the next he exploded. _God, it's like I'm bi…_ He thought a moment. _Something to do with a polar bear? Bi-polar! That was it._

He wanted to touch her shoulder or something. "Rachel…"

"You better get that up to the register, Finn. We're closing in ten."

And with a flip of brown hair, a Rachel Berry storm off commenced.

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So that was chapter one! How was it? Did you like it or…? Not? Any feedback would be great. I have many chapters mapped out and the next few written. So if the feedback is okay, I'll continue with posting chapters. :) thanks so much for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, thank you everyone for the kind reviews! I'm really glad you all liked it! Is it just me or is everyone not getting like, updated story alerts or anything in their email? My email doesn't send me any alerts for authors or stories anymore and I can't figure out how to fix it :/ If anyone put this on their story alerts, I hope you all got it! I don't understand why my email is not getting anything anymore! So frustrating. Thanks again for reading and for reviewing! Enjoy!  
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Chapter 2:

Finn was pretty sure he was part of the twilight zone. At first he thought he was just bored; the very long speech Mr. Schue was making on song choice and the guidelines for National's just making him daydream.

Rachel had come in earlier than the rest of the glee group and sat down in a seat on the far left—he guessed to be farther away from him since their fight and from Quinn when she decided to grace him with her presence—and non-stop apologies from the fight they had about prom. He grit his teeth at the thought. If she mentioned prom outside of the apology he deserved he was going to kick a chair over.

He wished someone else had been in the room with him and Rachel when Quinn came in because the moment after she apologized she started getting really touchy. He figured it was a great display to other people how a couple felt, like, how happy the couple was to be with each other or something. But Quinn wasn't doing any of these things—touching his leg, looping her arm through his, kissing his cheek every friggin ten minutes—because she was happy. She was doing it because Rachel Berry was in the room and Quinn had to be all over him like she had something to prove. That, Finn discovered, pissed him off more than anything. Couldn't they just be a couple or whatever without rubbing it in Rachel's face? Finn thought Quinn maybe picked up on how uncomfortable or angry he felt because she backed up off him and just helped his hand as the rest of the students piled in.

And that's when Finn realized something was off. Something much more confusing than the fact that she was working at Sheets n Things. As Rachel turned to talk to Sam, who was coming over to sit next to her, Finn noticed how visibly tired she looked. She looked even worse than the time she got that laren—that tonsils thing.

Her hair was braided but messy, strands sticking out and waved into different shapes. There were dark circles underneath her tired eyes; no makeup today. Even though Rachel was always pretty natural, she usually had on eyeliner or used that…black puffy wand that touched the eyelashes. He wasn't really sure he understood that invention. Eyelashes were black, why was there a need to coat them with something that made it darker? Her clothes were bigger too, not many people would have noticed but Finn took pride in noticing Rachel Berry's clothes. He couldn't deny he was amused by her sequined leg warmers, animal sweaters and little sundresses with brightly colored tights. He found it adorable, not to mention unique. It wasn't like all the girls in school who wore cheerios uniforms or made the effort to follow what Quinn was wearing that week. He was pretty sure he saw the hat she was wearing today, a small ridiculous looking red thing that sat on the side of her head, on three other girls between fifth and sixth period. When Rachel wore an orange sweater with a printed giraffe on it, Finn was confident she would be the only one wearing it in the entire school. Special, Finn realized, that's what he saw it as.

But today, there were no printed sweaters and short skirts that made his mind wander in Spanish class. She had on a pair of pants which were dangerously related to sweatpants and a short sleeved, black t-shirt that said "Daddy's Girl" in pink sparkly letters. Finn wondered which of her dads gave her that shirt.

Rachel Berry did _not_ wear sweatpants. Like, she just didn't. Unless something was really wrong, or was really sick, or if someone had broken into the Berry household and stole all of Rachel's skirts.

He tried to overhear what Sam and Rachel were talking about but Mr. Schue came in and started talking about songs and National's and—shouldn't he have been more excited about this?—Quinn hissed in his eat to stop blatantly…_whatever that meant_…staring at Rachel.

Finn was definitely sure that he was in the twilight zone now. Or maybe Rachel had been kidnapped by aliens and replaced with this pod person pretending to be her and failing horribly…okay, he really needed to stop watching the sci-fi channel while getting ready for school in the morning.

He couldn't tell what was going on with her and it frustrated the hell out of him. She looked sick, but she wasn't coughing or sneezing or didn't have any of the other cold symptoms that were noticeable. He thought it was maybe her tonsil thingy acting up again but she sang a perfect solo yesterday and did—laryngitis! That was it. Did it come onto a person so quickly?

Glee club was over before Finn knew it and he had been so deep in thought about his ex-girlfriend that he hadn't listened to a word being said the entire time.

"Alright, so Quinn and Finn," Fuinn, Finn decided, sounded like some type of illness you got from eating bad fish. "You two need to practice the duet for National's." Mr. Schue nodded at them, "It has to be letter perfect."

Quinn beamed beside him and squeezed his arm. "Absolutely, Mr. Schue."

If he would been paying attention he could of said something along the lines of, "What the hell" when Quinn suggested to do a duet between them for National's. It _had_ to be her who suggested it. Another notch on her social climbing ladder. She wanted him to win the big football game and use her voice to win National's. What better way to snag prom queen status? The rest of the glee club should have known who their best singer was, they gave her a damn award for it after Regional's. So why hadn't anyone said anything about the ridiculousness of this plan? Quinn singing in place of Rachel at National's was like putting an elephant in a dress for a tea party—it made no friggin sense. Did they _want_ to lose? Quinn had a nice voice and everything and she was beautiful but anyone with ears knew Rachel's voice took out Quinn's nasally sound in a heartbeat. This was garbage—he was really getting tired of the glee club not believing in Rachel's voice because they were jealous or just didn't like her. Didn't they understand that they needed to go with the best to win this thing?

Finn's fists tightened in anger as he looked over at Rachel while everyone stood to gather their things to leave for the day.

Rachel raised her head and connected eyes with him for a second and then looked away, shutting her notebook and putting it back in her backpack.

"So, my place tonight? We can practice." He turned his head to look at Quinn. She smiled and pecked his lips. "And I have a few prom dresses to try on for you." And there it was. It took everything for him not to snap at her as she ran her hand down his chest.

He managed a small smile. "Cool."

That seemed to satisfy her. She smiled again, kissed his cheek and turned to leave. Santana, Brittany, Tina and Lauren followed. There was something up with Artie's wheelchair, and Puck was kneeling beside it, halfway tipping him over to see what was wrong with the right wheel. Mr. Schue hurried to where Artie was and supported the left side so Artie didn't topple over. Finn stood and gathered his things slowly, once again trying to hear what Rachel and Sam were talking about while she gathered her things.

Sam picked up her jacket that was sitting on the back of her chair and held it up for her to slip her arms into.

"Did you get any sleep last night?"

For a big mouth Sam sure knew how to mumble. Finn had to strain his ears to pick up their conversation. He dropped his bag clumsily, spilling the contents, giving him more time to figure out what the hell was going on with Rachel.

"A little." She mentioned softly. "I have work tonight."

Sam frowned. "You should skip, get some rest."

She sighed and played with the ends of one of her braids. "I need the money, Sam."

Again with this money thing. Finn swallowed in annoyance—what the hell did she need the money for? He knew the Berry's weren't as well off as the Fabray's for instance but he knew they were comfortable.

Sam took a container—a thermos, out of his bag. "I could cover your shift and come over after?"

Finn's mouth went dry. Come over after his shift and-and what? What was he going to do there late at night with her? Sick his _ass_. How could her dads allow this shit? Finn had always gotten kicked out before ten on school nights and now Sam was allowed to visit her after his night shift?

She turned to look at Sam and zipped her bag shut. "I can't let you do that." She smiled softly at Sam—it was so forced and so tired.

It wasn't the firm Rachel Berry 'no' that he was looking for but Finn would take it.

"Alright, well, take this." He handed her the thermos and she raised her eyebrows, amused. "Relax," he chuckled. "It's not coffee, I know you don't do caffeine. Its green tea."

She unscrewed the cap, inhaling the scent of the contents inside the thermos. "We're out of green tea at my house." She smiled up at him—this time it was genuine. It was one of those smiles that she gave for when she really appreciated something…or someone. "Thanks Sam."

Sam smiled and flicked his bangs out of his eyes. "I looked up the benefits on the internet…it'll keep up your immune system and uhm, your energy too since sleep doesn't seem to be your best friend as of late."

"You researched it?" She giggled. Finn missed being able to make her do that.

Sam smirked and, was that blush? Finn resisted rolling his eyes and shoved his books in his bag.

"Yeah…" He rubbed the back of his neck like he was embarrassed.

Finn hoisted his backpack over his shoulder, nodding his head at Mr. Schue as he made his way over to Rachel and Sam.

Rachel looked up from Sam, a small tint of blush painted on her cheekbones. "Hello Finn."

"Hey," He thought he heard Sam sigh, turning slightly to address him.

"Here to upset her again?" Sam asked, anger lacing his tone.

Finn frowned. Had Rachel told him about what happened at Sheets n Things? He felt a small amount of guilt grip his stomach. Had he really upset Rachel so much that she went crying to Sam?

"Sam…" Rachel said softly, touching his arm.

"I was just wondering if we could talk?" Finn asked.

Rachel picked up her bag. "Maybe sometime later? I have to get to work…"

"Your shift is after school?" Sam asked, slightly confused. "I thought it was later than that…"

"I took a double, well Carly wanted to spend time with her baby so I told her I'd take her shift."

Sam smiled softly, tenderly—Finn didn't like it one bit. "Give it the old Rachel Berry effort, huh?"

She giggled and nodded. Finn watched the scene before him…they looked at each other like he wasn't even there. He was shocked, confused and nauseated all at once. Rachel apologized again to him and told him she'd take rain check—_what did rain have to do with talking with her over coffee or something? _Sam gave him a look, a protective one—one that was reserved for when Karofsky shoved her in the hallway or when Santana opened her mouth to insult her—as he gently took Rachel's hand and walked out of the room.

So they were dating…right? And Sam was hell-bent on keeping Finn from Rachel. Well he could try that all he wanted. For some reason, something was up with Rachel, something was wrong—and Finn just wasn't going to stand around and not be there for her. He admitted he hadn't been the best boyfriend—or even friend—and he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice…_or, you know, the same mistake six times in a row. _

Finn was going to be Rachel's friend, whether Sam liked it or not. It pissed him off that Sam tried to get in the way of that—couldn't he…rebuild his damn burnt bridges with her or whatever?

Not only that but something was definitely wrong with Rachel and fucking Sam Evans was in on it…and Finn was going to figure out what it was.

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Thank you so much for reading! I'm typing chapter 3 as we speak :) thanks for reviews too!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! Here's chapter 3, I'm doing a lot of homework tomorrow and then heading back to school on Monday so chapter 4 will be up as soon as I can type it out! Thanks to everyone who added me to their story alert or favorite story/author. I really appreciate it!

Enjoy :)

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Chapter 3:

The next time Rachel came into school looking like one of those zombies out of his video games he couldn't ignore it. He shut his locker and approached hers, leaning against the wall of lockers as she struggled to get a book from under her piles of binders and notebooks. He wondered if she was purposely ignoring him or was just so sick that she hadn't picked up on the fact that he was standing right next to her. The second one he could understand. Sometimes when he was sick, his mind was so cloudy and cotton-ball like that he couldn't sense anything around him. He was so friggin clumsy when he was sick, like, he was pretty bad when he was feeling well so, books on the floor, carpets, people, pencils in the middle of the hallway, things with wheels…these items were totally _not_ his friends when sick. He tripped on everything.

Finn remembered this one time that when he had been sick during the summer, bad pollen allergies or whatever, Rachel had come over to take care of him. Regardless of how miserable he had been; the homemade ice-cream and watching whatever movies he wanted had made him feel a lot better.

He swallowed and wished he could have remembered to ask his mom to help him make brownies or something for her. Finn and the kitchen didn't really get along when it came to baking stuff. He could make grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese but other than that he avoided using the heavy machinery—like blenders or ovens. He thought it was because when he was younger he had tried to make pizza and ended up setting a dish towel on fire…had his mom really trusted him ever since? He smiled at the thought. That's probably why she, like, stood by and observed him whenever he wandered into the kitchen when he was hungry.

He glanced at the door of her locker, looking for any traces of cat calendars with Samchel dates on them. He grimaced—Samchel sounded like a sandwich at a bar restaurant; something to soak up beers after a long night of drinking. Why was he because so judgey over these names all of a sudden? Samchel, Fuinn…maybe there was only one that he liked. He looked over Rachel. Only one he thought fit.

He looked back at her locker door again, his eyes getting distracted over the many shiny stickers on the plain tan surface. What was so odd was that the inside of Rachel's locker door was bare—except for the stickers and the photo booth picture of her and her dad's. There were no pictures of Rachel and Sam or of her and Sam out on a stupid date, smiling with their arms around each other, or even something that said Sam + Rachel forever in sully cut out letters from a magazine. Nothing. Pretty weird for a girl who prided herself on relationships and letting everyone know she was in one. Wasn't this the same girl that had wore his name around her neck and stuck little cut out hearts with her name and his on them and taped the paper to the inside of her locker door? Was this the same girl anymore? That pod person idea was really starting to look like a good explanation.

Add that to the list of what was wrong with her—she was less enthusiastic about glee (she barely ever opened her mouth anymore), no animal sweaters or short skirts (Rachel had great legs that just should _not _havebeen hidden by pants), her relationship with Sam (okay, was that really something wrong with her or was Finn just not happy about Sam making his way over to the Berry household after his stupid late night shifts at Sheets n Shit), and the job!

What did she need that money for? New skirts, stuff for baking cupcakes—his mouth watered. _Mmm, cupcakes_. God he missed her baked goods. Awesome perk of being Rachel Berry's boyfriend—_was Sam getting those cupcakes now?_ Finn shook his head. He was going to make himself sick with the ideas of what perks Sam got by being with Rachel.

Maybe Rachel was transferring to a new school like Kurt did and needed the money for…tuition? Or maybe—Finn's stomach dropped, maybe this was just all a ploy for Rachel to get him back. Was Sam in on it too, wanting to get Quinn back? He bit his tongue—maybe it should have been a sign that he was still more worried about Rachel doing this big elaborate plan to get his attention than he was about Sam stealing his current girlfriend. Well, at least if it was a plan, he could continue to be mad at her for reasons he didn't even care about anymore. At least he would know she was actually okay and there wasn't something going on that was hurting her.

_But I guess…I guess I should give her the benefit of the doubt. Just this once…_

Because honestly, he'd loved her—who was he kidding?—still loved her and she deserved more than him accusing her _again_ of just trying to get him back. She was right. Not everything was about him. And besides, maybe he could get her to make him some of those double chocolate chip cookies.

"Finn, are you just going to hover all day or did you actually need something?" Rachel asked quietly, pulling him from his delicious cookie thoughts.

"Oh," He murmured, awkwardly. "Sorry, I uhm—is something up with you?"

Finn glanced down when a light had caught off the charm on her necklace, making it sparkle. But instead of seeing the gold star he had given her for Christmas, something else was in its place. A little gold music note with a matching "R" charm rested against her tanned skin.

Finn tried and failed to not feel offended. He must have been staring at it for longer than he realized because Rachel ran her fingertips over her charms, clasping the music note between her fingers.

"Sam gave it to me." She admitted softly. "Don't worry…I still wear the star you gave me."

She should _not_ have been trying to make him feel better. He really didn't deserve it.

"Look, I know we're not together anymore but I thought you knew that you could always come to me if something was wrong."

She swallowed thickly and didn't meet his eyes. He wanted to hug her, badly, but quickly squashed the idea. If Quinn saw him doing that she'd be scary all day.

His heart sunk in his chest—or maybe Rachel _didn't_ know that she could come to him when something was wrong. It wasn't like Finn had been the best or most trustworthy ex boyfriend ever. So if something was really wrong with Rachel it made sense for her to go to Sam—he was nice and stood up for her, he made her smile and carried her books, he bought her gold charms and brought her tea.

_If I wouldn't of broken up with her, she wouldn't be this close with Sam…is that selfish?_ He sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair. _Yeah…it is._ He stopped thinking about it.

"You're wearing sweatpants again, Rach." He stated when she didn't speak up. "We may not be close anymore," And he couldn't state how much that separation hurt him, "but I know you, and you do not wear sweats…or pants for that matter. Not even in the dead of winter! I had to carry a blanket in the back of my car so that when I drove you home from school your legs wouldn't get frostbitten while the car heated up!"

She narrowed her eyes. "I wore tights in the winter, Finn."

"Right, because that thin layer between the snow and your legs obviously kept the heat in. Wasn't for my blanket your legs would have been blue!" He huffed.

She sighed and held her books to her chest. "I've been working out with Sam after glee practice." And now she was lying to him.

Finn's one eyebrow rose. "You…lift weights?"

"No." She stated; her tone a bit harsher, confident. Underneath all of this hiding crap he could spot a hint of the real Rachel. "But I could if I wanted to! I've been running the elliptical. I'm quite good at keeping pace and running for long periods of time."

Finn snorted. "Yeah that I don't doubt but…" He bit his tongue, she was lying to him and it dug under his skin. "You look sick; maybe you should keep the working out to a minimum and get some sleep." He tried to keep the edge out of his voice. "Or do I have to be Sam for you to listen to me?"

Oops.

She slammed her locker closed. "Maybe _you_ should mind your own business, Finn Hudson."

She went to storm past him but he gently grabbed her arm, tugging her back to face him.

"Wait…wait." He sighed as she pulled her arm from his grasp, bringing her lower lip into her mouth a moment. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm just…I'm worried about you." He admitted softly.

"You're worried about me?" She scoffed. "You've got some nerve, Finn. You sure weren't worried about me when you had to tell me you slept with Santana, or when you set up a kissing booth to get _all_ the girls in school to kiss you, or when you tore Quinn away from Sam! You weren't worried about me then!" He swallowed as her voice grew louder, attracting some students' attention around them.

"Worry about _your_ girlfriend, I hear you have a prom king and queen campaign to plan." He saw the angry tears gather in her eyes before she turned and rushed down the hallway, turning the corner.

The thing that hurt the most was that she was right. Sure, he had worried about the whole Santana thing but in the end he just wound up hurting Rachel more because he couldn't find the courage to be honest. He had been selfish—mean, even. When had he become this sort of person? He was no better than the people who made fun of Rachel or threw slushies at her. No, he was _worse _than that. He had gotten her to let down her walls, to trust him and love him. And yeah, he had been mad about Puck and everything but had she really deserved all the shit he was doing? Finn thought—he just thought he was going to feel…happier or something, more like himself again after everything. After breaking up with her, the kissing booth, and Quinn—he really had dug a hole for himself. None of those things had made him feel better. They dulled the ache, by a fraction maybe. He thought it would get better but…Finn was still waiting.

He could figure it out; he could handle getting out of the hole that he dug one of these days but...Rachel mad at him? That was just one of the things he _couldn't_ handle.

O0o0o0

Finn tried to find her after the hallway blowout but no such luck—it was like she just disappeared. Okay, maybe not literally because there was only so much shit he could deal with and an _X-Files_ case was not one of them.

Maybe she was in the bathroom…or the glee practice room or maybe in her car or with Sam somewhere telling him how much of an ass Finn was being this morning. He knew he'd be getting an earful at football practice if that was the case.

He had to get to class, so the Rachel search would have to continue later. Two lucky things happened to Finn between third and fourth period. For one, he'd successfully been avoiding Quinn all day. _I am goddamn covert ops! _He nearly fist-pumped while walking to class. He was pretty sure the lack of her yammering on and on about prom colors and co-coordinating was good for his stress level. And two, fourth period was English and Rachel sat right next to him. With a substitute teacher filling in for Mr. Leetz, he'd be able to talk to her. The universe was finally giving him a break.

He went to class early, sitting in his assigned seat. Rachel arrived, early as usual. She didn't even look at him when she sat down. She instantly opened her bag, pulled her books out and started writing the notes that were on the board. Her short pony tail bobbed softly as her hand moved swiftly across the paper. Her bangs were held back with a thin, purple, glittery headband. Rachel handled the whole sporty look really well—in fact, Finn was pretty sure she could pull off any look she wanted. Well…maybe anything other than that stuffed animal Gaga outfit or the ridiculous granny nightgown she wore at her house party.

"Rachel." He tried…a few times. She was really pissed at him. She didn't even flinch.

He sighed as the class piled in and the substitute attempted to poorly teach _Macbeth_…or was it _Hamlet_? He watched Rachel take notes; he wondered why she wasn't correcting the sub as much as she usually did. Rachel corrected anyone…it wasn't like she felt bad for the sub or something.

"If you're going to teach or sub for a teacher you should know the material." She had told him once. "Does an engineer show up at his job and not know how to fix a conveyer belt?"

"No?" He had guessed and she smiled, agreeing. She never made him feel like he was stupid.

But today she was silent—much to the class's relief he guessed—the only sound coming from her was her pen scratching the paper she was scribbling on.

So fine, if she wanted to play the no talking game, he'd play too. Her tore out a piece of notebook paper from his notebook and checked the back and front to make sure there were no doodles of dragons or Mr. Leetz drawn like an orange anywhere on the sheet.

He passed her a note: _rachel, i'm sry._

She opened it, much to his surprise. He thought she was going to throw it away. The glare the note received however made him feel like maybe it would have been better if she _had_ thrown it in the trash.

She pushed the note back to him: _Sorry doesn't always cut it, Finn._

Finn sighed: _i kno, i'm trying here…_ He scratched that part out and bit his lip in thought. _i kno. i want 2 b friends. _Short, simple and to the point.

When Rachel picked up the note she scrunched her eyebrows at it: _Friends?_

He wondered why she was so confused_: i kno ur not sick, Rach_. He was guessing here, she could have been sick—but he had this feeling in the pit of his stomach that that wasn't the problem. _somethin is wrong._

She opened the note and frowned: _No, nothing is wrong. I'm a bit stressed, if you must know. I'm nervous about National's and my relationship with Sam._

Finn nearly snorted. Yeah. He was worried about National's too. With Quinn as their female lead they _all_ should have been goddamn worried.

She snatched it again before he could reply and added: _And I don't need to hear about how much you dislike him. You used to be friends at one point, you know. _

He nodded softly when he read that. Yeah, he knew. Before he had to go and fuck it up.

Finn thought about his response—if he wanted to be friends with her and get to the bottom of why she was acting so weird, he needed to actually _be_ her friend and that meant:

_ur rite. Friends dn't judge eachothr. _

He passed it to her and she bit her lip, turning to look at him. His heart jumped when a small smile fell on her lips.

She bent over the sheet of paper: _You're right, they don't. Okay, we can be friends, Finn_. _I really appreciate_He smirked softly as she scribbled that part out with curly-cued shapes. _I'm glad we came to this juncture. _

Finn figured a juncture or whatever was a good thing because she was glad about it.

He took his pen cap off: _:) me 2. so…do u want 2 hang out aftr skool? u owe me that rain thingy._

She giggled softly and zipped up her hoodie, rolling up her sleeves: _A rain check, Finn? And I can't, I have work_.

His grin was stretched over his face from making her laugh._ Take that, Sam Evans. _He thought a moment and looked at her. She looked so tired still, regardless of her bright smile. So tired and so worn out. He was starting to get worried that she was 'over exerting' herself. Coach Beiste had told him to be careful of doing that the last time he hurt his knee during football practice. He had to look it up on Google but he got the gist.

He scribbled down a reply for her: _dn't u think ur ovrdoing it with the wrk?_

He thought she'd be mad at him again. He expected to get back a snappy response that told him to mind his own business, but instead she passed him this: No_, I need the hours. I want to make a good impression on my boss and on Sam. He put his neck out to get me this job in the first place…_

She bit her lip in thought. Finn thought it was beyond adorable, resisting the urge to kiss her upper lip. He swallowed. He hadn't thought about kissing her in a very long time. He had to stop doing that…well, maybe she had to stop being so damn cute. It was very un-friend like of him to want to kiss her...

_You can come keep me company though, if you want to. It's a long shift and I should be able to take a coffee break._

_u dn't like coffee. _He stated and she shook her head.

Before he could shift the paper over to her, Rachel's arm reached over his to write on the sheet. Her arm rested on his, skin against skin, his muscle tensed a moment. Her head moved closer to his so she could see the paper and write next to his messy scrawl.

He could smell her vanilla scented perfume. _It's a figure of speech, Finn._

Oh…Finn swallowed as she pulled her arm back. It wasn't exactly the plan he was going for but: _wen does ur shift start?_

She grinned at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

It'd have to do for now.

Oo0o0o0

Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

This chapter is a bit…emotional, but it has to be. I hope everyone is okay with that. If you take a minute to notice this story is under romance and hurt/comfort so it's the "read-between-the-lines" theme of my story as a whole. So I hope you all enjoy!

It's a bit longer than I usually do for this story; I try to keep it between 5 and 6 pages for each chapter. I usually write huge updates for my _Supernatural_ story and it takes me a long time to write them. So I decided to do shorter chapters for this story. (5 to 6 pages compared to SPN which usually ends up being 10 or longer)

Thanks for all the reviews, alerts and messages! You all are wonderful, I'm really glad I'm writing a story people like!

Enjoy!

O0o0o

Chapter 4:

So he'd go over Quinn's for an hour, pick out a stupid color glitter for the banner for their campaign for prom king and queen and get over to Sheets n Things for Rachel's shift.

Quinn would be happy, Rachel would be happy—Finn would be happy. And the best thing about it was Quinn would never need to know about Rachel and his newly found friendship with her. He didn't want this thing spoiled—it would just stay between him and Rachel. He wasn't going to let Quinn, Sam or anyone else who had a problem with it ruin it. He had let too many people decide how he'd feel about things lately. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. Like when he had let popularity rule his life—oh wait, he was _still_ doing that. He swallowed.

Rachel had never made him feel like he was popular but…at least he never felt alone when he was with her.

He adjusted his football bag and reached inside for his water bottle. Finn couldn't help but wonder if Sam knew about him coming to visit Rachel while she was working. Sam hadn't said anything to him all practice…his hits on the field had been a bit harder but other than that there had been no fighting or whatever like he had expected. Maybe Rachel hadn't told Sam because –well, because there was no reason to. They were friends and she shouldn't have had to. Rachel was perfectly capable of making her own decisions…least that's what she always told him. And he totally agreed with her. She didn't need Sam's permission to hang out with friends.

He sighed, stopping when he got to his car. His muscles ached and he was in need of a hot shower. He took a long swig of water from the bottle and set it in his bag. He fished in his basketball shorts for his keys but came out empty. He frowned and searched his gym bag and then his book bag—still came out empty handed. Finn swore softly, the keys to his car must have been in his gym locker…or somewhere around there. He set his bags down and shoved them under his car; they'd be fine for the five minutes he'd be gone.

Finn jogged back to the school and opened the double doors, heading down the hall to the locker room. Of course the closest entrance to the locker room was near the football field, near his car, but that one was always locked from the outside.

He high-fived Mike for a good practice as he passed him in the hallway and turned the corner, coming face to face with the boy's locker room door. He pushed the door open and went to his locker, the door closing softly behind him.

The smell of sweat and unwashed clothes combined with blueberry flavored Gatorade stung his nostrils. He rubbed them, irritated, trying to hurry so he wouldn't be late to Quinn's. That's all he would need—her bitching at him for being late.

Finn shifted, looking for keys around his locker when a soft noise grabbed his attention. He frowned and turned around. _Is someone else in here? _

He inched closer to another row of lockers. He was about to call out to see if anyone was still in the showers or something when he heard shuffling, a sigh and finally a voice.

"I'm sorry I bothered you in here, Sam." Finn frowned. Rachel. Rachel was in the boy's locker room—well it wasn't like it was her first time or anything. He just…_Why is she in here_?

"No, it's okay, don't apologize Rachel. I told you, whenever you need to talk, I'm available." Finn couldn't see Sam but he could hear the smile in his voice. He gritted his teeth together and the muscle in his jaw twitched.

Finn should have gotten out right then; turned around, searched for his keys and drove the hell out of there. He needed to get to Quinn's. But instead he moved closer, trying to figure out a way where he could see what was going on.

It should have really bothered him that he was eavesdropping but…he was just trying to be a good friend_. Does that excuse even work?_ He was pretty sure Rachel would be furious if he was using his 'friends' title to listen in on her and her boyfriend. What was he doing? This didn't prove his trust to her…it just proved he was nosy and needed to know what she was doing with Sam in the boy's locker room. And Rachel trying to blame her…un-Rachel like personality on stress and working out with Sam was crap and he wanted to know what was going on. These past few days had been driving him up the wall.

As her ex-boyfriend, he never really realized how much he cared about her. He thought it'd be easy, he had been Quinn's ex and he'd barely talked to her. He hadn't cared about what she was doing or who she'd been going out with, how her parents were after the whole baby gate—nothing, not a thought. He thought he'd eventually feel the same way about Rachel: forgetting about her, not caring anymore. But with her…it was different. The more time he spent away from Rach, the _more_ he cared about her. The more he cared about how she was doing at home, how were her dads? Were they still making kielbasa every Thursday? Was Rachel still getting bullied in the halls—or was Sam there for her? Did she still watch a different musical every Sunday? Finn swallowed. Did she watch them with Sam? Finn closed his eyes and leaned his head against a cold, red, locker door. If he would have known how awful being apart felt he never would have broken up with her. It was _just_ a kiss. And she'd been honest with him about it. And hadn't he done so much worse compared to her with this whole Quinn thing? He sighed very softly.

_Quinn_. He could hear her nasally voice in his head, "Why? Who do you care so much about what that little midget is doing with Sam! She's just trying to get you back!"

And yeah, he'd considered that a ton of times…but it just didn't fit. Why would Rachel go through with all this just to get his attention—he excepted that from her when she sang that duet with Puck but after Regional's and after that song of hers…she was different, he could feel it. She was finally moving on from him. _Wasn't that what I wanted?_

Finn moved down the row of lockers, quietly stepping over discarded t-shirts and cleats.

"It's just…this was the last place I wanted to talk to you about this…" Finn could picture her scrunching her nose at the smell.

Sam chuckled. "Well we could leave if you want."

"No," she said, softly now. "It's quiet here…and I think…" She was hesitant, her voice trembling. Finn never really heard her tumble over her words like that.

Finn reached the end of a row of lockers, a mirror across from him. There were a few hanging on the wall in a line, sinks underneath them. If he leaned a bit to the left he could see Rachel and Sam in the reflection.

This was wrong. _So_ wrong. What the hell was he doing? The mirror easily reflected the aisle Sam and Rachel were in, the row of lockers between them hiding Finn. Could he do this to Rachel? If she saw him she'd never forgive him. But he couldn't get his goddamn legs to _move_, the muscles clenching and refusing to budge.

"Hey..." Sam said softly. Finn tilted his head, watching him put his hands on Rachel's shoulders, trying to urge her to continue. His thumbs moved in circles on her collar bone and then moved up to gently stroke the soft skin on the sides of her neck.

Sam's back was facing Finn in the mirror, so Finn could see Rachel's face. He had to shift to see her in the reflection as Sam moved closer to her.

Finn's heart clenched as he saw Rachel's face crumble, her frame shuddered as she took a big breath into her lungs—a big sob escaping her lips.

Sam reacted instantly, pulling her into his chest, his arms wrapped around Rachel's tiny body. Finn really had to squash the urge to run and gather her into his arms and take her back to his car—away from here, away from whatever was making her so sad.

Finn had always had this sort of weak spot when it came to girls crying, especially for Rachel. He hated seeing it and everything but when it came to Rachel Berry, something inside him just snapped. She was the most honest, sweetest and selfless (yeah, she'd really been working on _that_ one lately) girl he knew. To see her cry was just like…kicking a sick puppy or something.

The crying was one thing; unfortunately he wasn't that good at comforting. He was just…he was taller and he kinda had to, like, lean down to hug her and his whole body did this awkward thing where he tried to hug her and he felt like he was engulfing Rachel. Rachel had never complained…she had always told him that she loved his hugs. That she felt like she was being hugged by a big, comfy teddy bear or something (he had thanked her for the masculine points _that_ had brought him…). Not only that but Finn was always fumbling with words—let alone saying the right thing to make her feel better. He had only comforted Rachel three times in their relationship—and for a dramatic girl like her; Finn figured that was a pretty good average.

One time, the mean MySpace comments on her videos was just too much for her to handle. He held her while she cried and told her that the people who commented mean things were just jealous of her talent—he had told Puck to 'visit' some of those people the next day at school and put the fear of the Jewish God in them. She didn't get many mean comments after that.

The second time was during that movie with Will Smith and the zombies—_God, what was the title?_ Anyways, the dog died and Rachel had teared up against his t-shirt, mumbling about how it was an awful movie and that she hoped the dog hadn't suffered. He was pretty sure an argument would have started if he had told her she was being a tad dramatic—it was just a movie, the dog was fine and dandy in real life. He was going to tell her that but…he watched the _Sound of Music_ with her instead and sang along when she poked his chest to pay attention. It had made her smile so he didn't mind much.

The third time had been the worst. Karofsky was just having one of those days where he was just…relentless (awesome S.A.T. word. _Did I ever thank Rachel for those study books?_) to everyone in his way. Finn had been at his locker, down the hall from Rachel's when he saw her turn to head back to him to leave for the day. Unfortunately Karofsky wasn't watching where he had been going and bumped right into her. Of course it was _her_ fault that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was walking. He had pushed her into the lockers, telling her to watch herself. As if that wasn't bad enough, Karofsky then opened up his fat mouth and said something about how Rachel's nose was so big that she probably couldn't see where she was going and some awful slur about her "two big faggot dads". That had been more than enough for Finn to beat the ever-living shit outta him. Finn had rushed down the hall and grabbed him by the letterman jacket and pushed him into another set of lockers. He was about to throw in a punch or some type of ninja kick but Rachel's hand on his arm stopped him.

When he looked down at her, large tears had formed on the ends of her eyelashes and dripped like a leaky faucet, her breathing was shaky and her lower lip wobbled ever so slightly. He had leaned down and hugged her instantly, glad that Mr. Schue had come out of his office at the noises in the hall. He took care of Karofsky, guiding him down the hallway to the principal's office upon seeing a sobbing Rachel.

Finn sighed softly at the memory. He remembered how tightly Rachel's arms had wound around his waist, how her tears emptied out against his chest; soaking his polo. He remembered her small shaking body and how she slowly stopped crying because of how his arms tightened and how he placed soft kisses in her hair. When she had pulled back he cupped her face with his hands and removed the tear tracks with his thumbs; with a long kiss on her forehead he had finally gotten her to smile. It hadn't been that really bright one that sometimes made Finn think Rachel had, like, the sun in her mouth or something—but it was small, genuine and thankful and that had been enough.

"Shh…" Finn heard Sam whisper softly. Finn craned his neck to watch him run his hands down through her hair. "It's okay, I got you…" He whispered.

Finn felt his blood boil in jealousy. He shook his head and breathed out, closing his eyes. _Rachel, Rachel…you're here for Rachel. Don't be selfish about this…_

When Rachel's sobs eventually slowed, Sam still kept her against his body. Finn could see his arms flex slightly in the mirror's reflection—he guessed he had held Rachel tighter or moved to rub her back.

"What happened? Did someone say something to you?" There was anger throughout Sam's voice.

"No," Rachel sniffled, her voice muffled against Sam's shirt.

Finn strained his ears to hear Rachel speak—the girl had a huge voice but when she was sad or upset she got softer and softer until she was just quiet. He remembered the day Karofsky had made her cry she was silent all day; it took him forever to get her to talk to him again without her sounding so hurt or wounded.

Then again, Finn couldn't really blame the fact that he couldn't hear her clearly on anyone or anything—he wasn't supposed to be _eavesdropping_ like this. _If I honestly felt like she'd tell me what was wrong I'd leave—but I don't see that happening._ So he did what he thought he had to, to be a good friend, to find out what was wrong with Rachel and fix it. Fix her.

He told her once that he'd be there for her—that didn't stop being true just because they weren't together anymore.

"I have to go…" Rachel said suddenly, pulling back from Sam's chest.

Wait. What? She was leaving? _Did I miss something about why she was crying?_ Finn panicked. If she left now, she'd definitely see him.

"Wait, Rach…" Sam placed a kiss on her forehead, just like Finn always used to, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Finn felt his fists clench again, swallowing thickly at this newfound resentment attacking him the past few days. He shouldn't have felt like this.

"Let me take you home, you're in no condition to drive." Sam gathered some of his gear and shoved it in his bag.

"I can't…do this." She swallowed and wiped the tears off her face as they started to fall again.

"Don't…" Sam said softly. "You obviously need someone to talk to. Don't push me away Rachel."

Her lip wobbled and her breath caught in her throat. Finn swallowed and frowned softly in sympathy. God he wished there was something he could do, she looked so helpless.

Sam went towards her again. "I just…I d-don't know what to do anymore, Sam." She hugged him again, this time her arms going around his waist, leaning into him for comfort—safety.

Finn felt utterly sick to his stomach at the scene before him. He tried to push those feelings aside—the ones he thought were gone—the ones just for her. He tried to be the friend card: neutral, totally _just_ doing this because of Rachel, because he cared about her and needed to help her. But part of him couldn't deny there was a hint of anger, jealously; something that lit his insides like a wildfire…something that made Sam Evans something he wanted to hit. And badly.

Finn wasn't a very violent person. Sure, he played football. But he was pretty soft compared to most of the guys at McKinley. It took a lot to get him so mad that he punched something.

He tried not to be that guy—the one he'd become that just kept bouncing from girl to girl. He never should have tried to move on with Quinn because there was only one girl he wanted, and she was standing, crying, in another man's arms right in front of him.

"It'll get better, Rach. I promise."

She laughed but it sounded so strained and hard. "How could you promise that?"

"Didn't I tell you? I'm back from the future," Sam responded in his best Marty McFly voice. Rachel laughed softly, sniffling. "I'm here to tell you that everything is going to be fine…and that there are still no flying cars a year from now."

Finn rolled his eyes. _What an asshat._

Rachel, however, didn't seem to think so because she pulled back with a smile. "Thank you, Sam." She said softly.

Finn slowly backed up, making his way to his locker. He heard shuffling—Sam grabbing his bag and hoisting it over his shoulder. Finn made his way towards the showers, deciding to hide in one of the stalls until they left.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride to the hospital before your shift…make sure everything is okay."

Finn nearly rammed into a set of lockers, his heart slamming up through his throat. He managed to get into the shower stall, looking at the back of Sam and Rachel, his arm around her shoulders as they left the locker room, the door closing—echoing in Finn's head.

H-hospital. Hospital? He swallowed thickly, tears stinging the back of his eyes, his back resting against the cool tiles of the shower wall. Oh, God. He fought tears and bit the tip of his tongue.

Everything came crashing down on him, swallowing him up in bitter emotions. The hospital, sweatpants, she was sick-like and Sam _knew_. Finn sniffled. He fucking knew and she needed a job because she needed money…a tear fell down his cheek against his will.

Finn Hudson was too late.

He was too late to be with Rachel Berry.

To have her feel like he was special, to make her feel beautiful, to be each other's firsts—_true_ firsts (the kind that had to do about being in love, not with a number or a mistake), to lying in bed with her; warm and nervous and satisfied, to holding her as she fell asleep, to be connected and to be as close as two human beings could possibly be to each other.

He was too late.

Rachel was pregnant.

And he was heartbroken.

O0o0o0o

So, is Rachel _really_ pregnant? Or is that just what Finn can gather for a conclusion? :) thanks for reading and for reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for the wonderful reviews everyone! And the alerts and favorites! It's SO much longer than I had expected but…its difficult when you try to transfer from notebook pages to Microsoft word. Later chapters won't be this long.

Enjoy!

ANOTHER NOTE: this chapter was originally done April 9th, midday (for those who live in the US) but for some reason, was having, like it usually is, technical issues. It would send that I updated the chapter but the chapter never showed up when you clicked the link. So sorry that this is getting out so late. I was really angry, I worked half the day to type it out and post it and it never worked.

0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 5:

Finn reconsidered going to spend time with Rachel at her shift twenty times. Actually, this was the twenty-first time.

After he'd stumbled his way out of the locker room, nearly running over his book bag and football gear—he had forgotten he'd stashed them under his car for safe keeping—and managed to drive over to Quinn's without hitting anyone, including mailmen, he sat in his car, turned the engine off and just stared at the Fabray house.

He knew Quinn was waiting and probably angry, he was an hour late, but his preoccupied brain couldn't find room to care.

Could Rachel really be— He shook his head and slammed his hands on the steering wheel. His palms stung. No. She couldn't be. She just—he could not handle another girl he cared about getting pregnant. Yeah, he had cared about Quinn, a lot, before Rachel and before the whole fact that the baby wasn't even _his_.

Finn took a deep breath and tried to put his friend blinders on. This wasn't about him. If Rachel _was_ pregnant, and that was a big if, she'd need his friendship right now.

He chewed on his bottom lip. Maybe she wasn't pregnant. Maybe—his stomach dropped. Maybe the hospital had to do with something far worse than a baby in the oven. Maybe Rachel was sick, like, _really_ sick.

His heart felt like it was sinking into his stomach. He swallowed; he didn't know what was worse: Rachel being sick or being pregnant with Sam's or…god, maybe Puck's baby. It wasn't like Puck hadn't planted his seed in any girls he knew before. Finn looked up at the Fabray house, spotting Quinn's bedroom window.

His fists clenched a little—he couldn't believe he'd forgotten about how angry he had been over the fact that Quinn and Puck had lied to him. If it wouldn't have been for Rachel telling him the truth, who knew where he might have ended up. Would he be living at his house with Quinn and a baby, dropping out of school to find a job, Quinn yelling at him about baby formula, diapers and ice cream? He ran his hands through his hair. God, what a nightmare.

He honestly couldn't see Rachel in a situation like that. She was all about being organized, planned and perfect. Getting pregnant as a teen—with a whole Broadway star vision as a future was the definition of disorganized. Something Rachel wasn't.

Not to mention, Rachel just wasn't that type of girl. When they were together he'd only ever made it to second base (thanks to Grilled Cheesus) and she'd had the chance to have sex with Jessie St. Jackass and she hadn't (because she was waiting for Finn, because she loved him—and because they were something special). He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

The thoughts just kept going over and over in his head. Rachel just couldn't be pregnant. Her dreams were bigger than a baby and staying in the god forsaken town called Lima. He had to believe that she wouldn't do that to herself—he had to believe that, beyond anything, Rachel Berry was going somewhere. One day, she'd have her own Broadway classic, fame and awe directed towards her talent. Name calling (Man-hands, RuPaul) and slushies (cold, stinging, thrown by faceless losers and _nobodies_) were all going to be behind her—lost in the golden bright lights of her stardom.

She wasn't going to let one mistake, like a baby in high school, ruin that for her.

Knuckles rapping on the driver's window pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned his head to see a very pissed off Quinn standing outside, her hands on her hips.

He smiled sheepishly, opening the door and stepping outside.

"Uh, hey."

"_Hey_?" Her voice screeched like nails on a chalkboard. "You've been out here this whole time and all you have to say to me is 'hey?'."

He swallowed. "Yeah? I'm sorry…I got caught up," _spying on Rachel_ "after football practice and I wanted to shower so I wouldn't be so sweaty…"

She groaned and grabbed his forearm. "Just shut up, come on."

He sighed and let her drag him into her house. The familiar scent of oak and sunflowers greeted his nose. The smell didn't bring him comfort—actually it irritated his allergies more than anything. Rachel's house smelled like…homemade pies and berries. When that smell filled his nose he felt like he was home. He never remembered feeling so comfortable in another person's house. He used to make a joke with her almost every time he came to her house—"Isn't it funny that the Berry household smells like berries?" Rachel would always giggle and kiss his cheek.

Finn considered asking Quinn where her parents were but he figured he already knew—in Florida or in some other beautiful vacation spot. That's where they always were when he asked and he knew Quinn was upset about it. He thought Quinn got the feeling that her parents didn't want to spend time with her after the whole pregnancy thing. Her and her parents made up and everything but…_How can you really apologize to your daughter for like, kicking her out on the street when she needed them the most?_

Finn knew Rachel's dads would never do that to her.

"Okay, so…" Finn sat on Quinn's bed. "I've made banners, buttons and we need something sweet…something so people remember how 'sweet' their choice is to vote for us."

Finn nodded. "Cool." He was all down for cookies or something.

"Cookies or cupcakes?"

Cupcakes. Definitely. Maybe he could get Rachel to make them…God they'd be prom king and queen for _sure_.

"I don't care. You choose."

"You don't care? Finn, this could be our deciding vote! You have to care." Her voice ground out and he sighed, tired.

"Cookies then, Quinn."

She beamed, scary to nice in four seconds flat. "Great! I'll get baking tomorrow! Oh, we can put little F's and Q's on them!"

As long as she didn't put 'Fuinn' he didn't care what the fuck she wrote on them. "Yeah, awesome babe."

She came over to him and sat on his lap, running her hands through his hair. She kissed his upper lip and grinded down on him after kissing for a while. He never felt so uninterested in his life, not one thought about having to bring the mailman into play. Well…that was new.

He cleared his throat and pulled back from her—trying to think of something fast. "Uh…I thought you had dresses to show me?"

She smiled widely, clearly happy he remembered. He was just glad she wasn't offended that he didn't want to make out with her anymore. All he would need was for her to start crying or something.

He'd had enough crying for one day.

"That's right! I have at least three to try on—and then I bought a few others because they had different colors and textures. The dress _makes_ the Queen you know." She stood and went to get the dresses from her closet. "Besides, the dress can't clash with the crown!"

Finn bit his tongue and resisted rolling his eyes. God, no, if her dress didn't match the crown the world would just _explode_.

When had Quinn become this…superficial girl?

He knew she prided herself on having the latest fashion trends (which explained the ridiculous hats as of late) –it also explained why Quinn and the rest of the school had been dressed _exactly_ like Rachel that one day even though they refused to see it. He had noticed it right away—it was a nightmare. Only one girl could wear plaid skirts with knee highs and an animal sweater and look goddamn button cute…and her name _wasn't_ Quinn Fabray.

He also knew that Quinn always got what she wanted—her parents never said no, well at least that's how it was before the whole baby-gate thing.

So he couldn't pinpoint where Quinn had become this mean girl obsessed with being on top and being prom Queen. Finn couldn't even pretend she cared about him anymore. He just couldn't.

He didn't belong with her, they just didn't fit. So why was he just realizing this all now? Maybe he knew the whole time, maybe it was too late to really matter. He was already involved with her—he couldn't exactly tell her it was all a mistake, could he?

"Well?"

He looked up at her as she came out of the bathroom that connected to her room. It resembled Rachel's room so much sometimes that his heart ached. Quinn was in a sky blue dress, it flowed down to the floor, the end of it brushing against the carpet as she walked. His eyes followed the dress upwards: it hugged her form, the tube top squeezing her breasts perfectly. Her long blonde hair rested gently against her skin. She smiled.

"You look…nice." He nodded. "Really nice."

Yeah, she looked nice—beautiful even.

But she was no Rachel Berry. And that's the only thing Finn wanted to say.

O0o0o00o

Finn parked his car in the Sheets n Things parking lot, hurriedly pulling his keys from the ignition and opening the door.

He tried to get out of the car—only to be jerked back into his seat by the seatbelt. He sighed and un-clicked it, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, Finn." He muttered.

He shut the door, locked his car and pocketed his keys. He jogged to the store's entrance, waiting for the automatic sensor to pick up his presence. It took a moment but the doors squeaked open.

He went inside and scanned the cash registers for Rachel. He was a half n hour late for her shift. Quinn had kept him at her house for longer than he had expected. He hadn't realized she put so much effort into her dresses, shoes and purses and having it match up in perfect unison. She really wanted to look and feel perfect—prom Queen material. He had bit his tongue on telling her that it was the girl inside the dress (with perfectly matched shoes, holding a sparkly handbag) that really mattered. He left those sorts of comments to himself. The less arguing with Quinn the better, she never really liked his opinion anyway—even though she asked to hear it. So why give an opinion if she was just going to shoot him down and call him stupid anyways? So he just agreed with her—it made everything _a lot_ easier.

Finn was about to ask one of the cashiers if they knew where Rachel was when he heard a very loud crash to his left. He turned and saw Rachel on a ladder, surrounded by a fallen display of plastic monkeys that were soap dispensers and packages of shower curtains.

He winced as he saw a stocky man—her manager, Finn guessed—walk up to the ladder and glare up at her.

"Rachel! That's the fourth time this week!"

Fourth time? Rachel wasn't a clumsy person. Finn was clumsy enough for the both of them. She dropped stuff, sure, but Rachel wasn't one to trip or repeatedly knock things over—he guessed it was all those years of dance class. It made her…like, graceful or something.

"I'm sorry Mr. Noir." She swallowed and nervously played with the end of her apron. She had on a skirt today. _Thank God_. It reached her knees and had white polka dots scattered on maroon fabric. "I've had a lot on my plate." She nodded softly, the curls in her brown hair swishing against her shoulders.

"Well I've told you, I don't like clumsy employees! If you break something it comes out of your paycheck. Watch what you're _doing_."

Finn decided her manager was an asshole. Couldn't he tell she was upset?

"Restock the shelf and then fix the towels in aisle 9. Two toddlers went on a rampage and nearly pulled every towel off the shelves."

She didn't sigh, roll her eyes or groan. "You got it, Mr. Noir." The man grunted at her enthusiasm and waddled away.

Finn approached her slowly as she descended the ladder. "Hey, miss? Can you direct me towards the rugs? I hear you have a two for one sale going on today…"

When she turned her head and saw him, she instantly smiled. "Finn! I'm so glad you could make it."

He smiled. "Yeah, I'm sorry I'm late. Is your boss always that rude to you?" He tried not to sound so protective.

She shrugged softly and leaned closer to him so her boss wouldn't hear her if he was still looming around. "Sam says he's a bitter, middle-aged man because he's bald and hasn't met an appropriate match yet. I think he probably feels like he's running out of time to procreate."

He chuckled, even though he was a bit confused about the word 'procreate' and felt a tinge of anger when Sam's name was mentioned.

She smiled and kneeled to start picking up the fallen display. Finn leaned down next to her to gather up the packages of curtains into one pile that she could easily pick up.

"So…were you with Quinn before you came here?"

He looked at her as she finished her sentence. Did she really want to know that?

"Uhm," He swallowed.

"We're friends right?" She looked at him and their eyes connected for a brief moment before she looked down, hands busy collecting monkeys. "Friends talk about those sorts of things."

Yeah, she was right, but he just couldn't figure out _why_ Rachel wanted to talk about Quinn. She had seemed so hurt when they went public with their relationship—before he noticed her and Sam growing closer. He just…didn't want to hurt her more than he already had.

But if she wanted to talk about relationships… "Yeah, I was. She's been on me about prom these days."

"I see. Hyper planning for king and queen."

He groaned and his stomach fluttered as it made her laugh softly. "You have _no_ idea."

"Well, make sure you tell her not to forget to plan fun in there too." He smiled at her as they stood up with some of the fallen supplies.

"I'll try to mention that to her. She's…not big on my opinion."

Rachel slowly went up the ladder and settled the monkeys in their spots on the shelf. "That's too bad. I'm sure you have great ideas." She admitted softly.

Her voice was so soft and it didn't help that she was above him on the ladder and not facing him. He almost didn't hear her.

Finn didn't know what to say as he carefully handed her a stack of curtains. How did she _do_ that? She always made him feel like…like he was good enough to do anything he wanted—tackle any option, no matter how far out of his reach it was.

He just smiled at her when she looked down at his face. He figured the amount of thankfulness in his eyes made up for his lack of words. "Thanks, Rachel."

"No problem." She smiled as she stacked the last of the fallen display with his help.

He held the ladder to make sure it didn't wobble as she stepped down off of it.

"How are you and Sam?" God, was this how awkward she felt when she asked him about Quinn?

She shrugged and started walking towards the towel department as he trailed closely behind her. Even though she was smiling a lot more and wearing her skirts to work—Finn wasn't buying it. Something was deeply wrong, something that had made her crumble into a ball of tears in Sam's arms in the boy's locker room. If Rachel didn't tell him what was going on soon he'd have to confront Sam, which was a bad idea. Finn didn't want to get in a fight with the guy but he was so…protective of Rachel that if was kind of hard not to when she was brought up in a conversation. Sam got so defensive.

It was so hard for Finn _not_ to be selfish about this. If he had just been a good ex or friend to Rachel in the first place Sam wouldn't have been so involved. He hated to wish Sam's friendship with Rachel away—she seemed to be really grateful for someone like him to talk to—but what if Sam _was_ the cause of why Rachel was so sad and miserable.

The pregnant wheel started spinning in Finn's head again—just the thought of Sam's hands all over Rachel made him want to punch him in the nose. Finn had totally considered punching him in the mouth but if Sam's lips got any bigger he'd look worse than a trout…maybe like a big-lipped cichlid fish or something (God, he loved the National Geographic channel!)

Rachel may have answered him already—he wasn't sure, but the thought of Sam and fish somehow reminded him of what his mom made for dinner the other night, which reminded him of his kitchen, which of course, reminded him of—

"Cookies!"

Rachel turned her head to look at him, confusion touching her pretty face. "Beg pardon?"

He smiled. "You're making cookies for Kurt's party on Sunday, right?"

She nodded softly. "Right…did you want snicker doodles or sugar cookies?"

Finn's stomach wanted to marry her. "Rachel, whatever you make will be _awesome_." She smiled widely; she always did love when he complemented her food. "I had this idea, why don't you come over Saturday and we can make them together."

The idea was awesome; he was _so_ glad he thought of it. For one, Rachel had always wanted to teach him how to bake—he was disappointed they hadn't found the time when they were dating. Secondly, it was her stress reliever. Other than working out or singing, Rachel baked. She always used to tell him that baking calmed her down. And maybe if she was relaxed enough, her walls would fall down—and Finn could finally get to the bottom of what was wrong.

"What about Quinn and Sam?" She asked softly, so vulnerable. He just wanted to scoop her up and hug her—then he realized what she said.

"What about them?" He asked. He hurriedly rephrased his answer before she could say no. "We're just friends…and friends, like, bake together, don't they?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know…"

"Come on, Rach," he whined. "I need to learn how to make cookies…and who's a better teacher than you? You won't get mad at me if I confuse the measurement cups or press the wrong button on the blender."

She giggled slightly—he had her, he totally had her.

"You don't use a blender while making cookies Finn, you use a mixer."

"See?" He asked with a smile and took a step closer to her. He touched her shoulder and squeezed a little. "Totally have no idea what to do without you." He shook her shoulder a little. He wanted to tell her that the 'not knowing what to do without her' didn't just apply to the cookies.

She smiled and nodded, his hand falling from her shoulder. "Alright Finn, sounds good. Besides, I'm sort of worried that if I don't comply you'll try to make the cookies without me by using a blender."

He definitely wouldn't though—he avoided baking. Too many measurements to get wrong or confused. But he chuckled anyways; throwing in that half smile that seemed to always make her blush.

"Better safe than sorry right?"

Rachel smirked and nodded. "Your mother already makes sure you don't burn the house down when you want to make Mac n cheese. No need to add baking to that list too."

He grinned as she turned around and stacked the blue towels next to the yellow ones.

Quinn knew his birthday, his favorite football position, what his favorite food was—his favorite movie and band too…but she never remembered little things like Rachel did.

Little…odd behaviors or, what was that word? Q…quirks! That was it. Rachel remembered his quirks. She remembered that story about the grilled cheese and Mac n cheese (and how he set the dish towel on fire), she remembered why he didn't eat red M&M's (because when he was little they reminded him of those red ants…and the one time he'd been bitten by one), why he loved to walk in the rain (no not rain, a drizzle—because it was perfect. Not quite sunny but not pouring rain either…and you could see rainbows).

He watched Rachel fold a towel and smiled as she handed him on to fold too.

For some reason, remembering he hated red M&M's meant much more to him than remembering his birthday.

Finn clumsily folded the towel, trying to follow her steps. She smiled and stacked the towel, brown hair swishing onto her back—vanilla and berry wafting to his nose.

Maybe it didn't have to do with what was remembered—maybe it had _everything_ to do with the girl that was doing the remembering.

O0o0o0o0o

A coffee shop in Sheets n Things? That was news to Finn Hudson. He had been following Rachel to the back of the store so she could clock out for her break and they ran right into it. Finn knew that he wasn't the most observant (S.A.T. word of the day used correctly, _I am in the zone_!) person in the world but he'd been in Sheets n Things so many times with his mom—he even worked a few hours there. How could he not have noticed a caffeine supplier two rows away from the bed sheets aisle?

"Has this always been here?" He asked, looking at the coffee shop.

It was this little spot just, like, sticking out the wall. There was a counter with two people behind it, cleaning the nozzles of the machines and washing out coffee cups. There were a few tables and chairs set up so that people could sit and enjoy hot coffee—or muffins. His stomach grumbled.

Rachel took off her apron and hung it on a hook next to the small machine that clocked her hours. She smoothed out her skirt.

"No, I think they just built it last month?"

Finn nodded. He was confused to why they didn't advertise the fact that Sheets n Things had a little café…and why was it so far in the back? It was hidden from public view unless you really needed bed sheets.

As Finn walked next to Rachel towards the seats and counter, he thought that the café would do well for business, bring in customers when it was cold or something. And the prices weren't too bad—a lot cheaper than the Starbucks he had bought Quinn that one time in town. He briefly wondered why the manager would want it built in the back like it was supposed to be a secret…

He glanced at Rachel. The café wasn't the only secret he was concerned about. Why did she insist on keeping stuff from him? Weren't they friends?

It wasn't like he could really confront her or anything… _"Hey, I totally spied on you in the boy's locker room today. You were crying and it broke my heart in a million pieces because I don't know what's wrong and you won't tell me. Are the muffins any good here?"_

He sighed. Yeah, that'd go _super_ well.

"Can I have a regular tea with cinnamon and a…" She looked the display case. "Blueberry muffin, please?"

The cashier nodded and punched in the numbers while the other person behind the counter started on Rachel's tea. Steam hissed from one of the machines as they got to work.

"That'll be…$5.60."

She nodded and unzipped her little wallet that she had taken from her apron before hanging it up. It was navy blue, a big yellow patched star on the front. Her name was stitched into the fabric of the star.

Rachel pulled out a ten and Finn winced. Money—she wasn't working for nothing…

"Here, let me get it Rach." She frowned as he pulled out his wallet from his back pocket.

"I am perfectly capable of paying for myself, Finn."

He smiled at her stubbornness. "Let me be chiverous, will you?"

"Chivalrous…" She broke off in a giggle.

Finn blushed. "Right…that. You can pay the next time, deal?"

She smiled brightly at him. Finn wondered if it was from the thrill of doing something nice for him (taking money out of her little change purse and paying for them both) or because she was actually excited about the fact that there would _be_ a next time between them (another small coffee date that wasn't exactly a date at all). He hoped it was the second.

Rachel put the money away in her wallet. "Deal."

Yeah, deal, except he'd never let her do that. His mom had always taught him that he should pay for the girl, or at least offer, no matter how Rachel Berry stubborn they might have been. Besides, especially with this whole secrecy thing going on with her, he knew she needed the money…he just didn't know what for. But it must have been for something expensive or important—and he wasn't going to take away from that.

He ordered a medium coffee with a cinnamon muffin and paid for Rachel and his order.

She picked up their muffins as the cashier set them in front of her. She grabbed a few napkins to wrap around the muffins. He waited patiently at the counter while Rachel wandered over to the tables and sat down at one. Her feet just managed to touch the floor and he chuckled very softly as she swung her legs back and forth, waiting for him before she started on her muffin.

Finn's phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and opened it.

From: Quinn  
Message: I miss you ):

He sighed—couldn't he have a moment of peace? He'd only been gone from her house for a few hours. Finn knew exactly what this was. When Quinn was really clingy like it this, it only meant one thing: she was worried about losing him. And probably to another girl—like Rachel.

That's why it irritated him to the point of shaking her when Rachel doubted how beautiful, talented and amazing she actually was. Didn't she understand that Quinn was just as bad? Maybe even worse on insecurity? Quinn just had a good way of hiding it. Didn't Rachel understand that she made Quinn Fabray nervous and insecure? That was saying something. Rachel Berry was the only girl Quinn had ever got clingy around. At least she understood how beautiful, talented and amazing Rachel was (even though she'd never admit it). But the way she acted around her gave her away. She must have understood on some level to fear that she'd lose him to Rachel.

Finn glanced at Rachel again. She was sitting patiently, picking at her muffin every so often. She was texting someone—Sam probably was checking in on her to make sure she was okay after the boy's locker room. She was smiling and that struck a chord in Finn's heart. She was just so…simple and natural and _perfect_. She was perfect without even trying hard at all. And even though people found her annoying or too intense or thought she talked too much or was too passionate; those things just made Finn want to love her all the more. She didn't try to hide her faults—she knew it was okay to make mistakes or just be who she was and not try to change for anyone. Being herself was more important to her than trying to be someone everyone accepted.

He understood Quinn's fear right there and then.

As the drinks were set down on the counter, he quickly replied back to her. If he didn't, she'd just keep texting him.

To: Quinn  
Message: me 2 babe

He thanked the person who made the drinks and carefully carried them to the table. He sat across from her as she set her phone to the side. She took her tea from him and took the lid off. Rachel deeply inhaled the scent of her tea and closed her eyes—it was almost the same reaction she had had when Sam had brought her the thermos of green tea.

"Thank you again, Finn." Rachel said genuinely as she opened her eyes to look at him. "You really didn't have to pay for me."

He totally did have to. "It was no problem." He smiled, taking a slow sip from his cup. The hot liquid burned his mouth a little. He took the lid off to let it cool down a bit.

"How long is your break for?"

She played with the lid of her cup a moment. "It's not very busy, so I can take a half n hour."

Finn nodded. "Cool."

It was silent for a while, but it wasn't awkward. He figured it wouldn't be—they were friends now. They didn't have to talk all the time to keep it interesting.

Although, he was wondering… "Are you going to prom?"

She bit her lip. "Sam asked me to go…I just, I don't have a dress or anything."

"You could buy one." Finn nearly face palmed himself—she was sensitive about money and everything. _Dumbass_. "Although, it's probably too expensive."

Rachel nodded instantly. "And I didn't want to impose such a thing on my fathers. They've been very busy lately and…if I buy a dress I want to use my own money but…" She shook her head and dropped the subject from there.

"Quinn bought like…four dresses. She can't choose which one she likes. She has a blue one, a frilly pink one…a white one and this…silver-ish gold one with sequins."

"Oh, pretty." Rachel smiled. "I'm sure she looks beautiful." There was pain in her voice that Finn wasn't sure he completely understood. She cleared her throat, the hints of the pain gone from her voice. "Well, tell her I would go with the gold looking one. It will look ravishing with her blonde hair."

Why did she have to be so _nice_ to Quinn? Quinn didn't deserve Rachel saying nice things about her. If he had tried having this same conversation with Quinn about Rachel all she would do is make fun of her. Finn bit his tongue—it was just another sign of how unhappy Quinn was with herself.

"I'm not sure if gold is her color." Finn said softly, looking directly into her eyes.

Rachel looked into his eyes as well and smiled very softly, like she understood a certain hidden meaning behind his words.

She looked away first, bringing her attention to her muffin. She slowly pulled the wrapper off it and set the muffin on her napkin.

"You know my mom can sew dresses and stuff…she like, makes them out of fabric and," He chuckled. "It's friggin amazing. One minute it's a bunch of fabric and stitches and the next it's a dress."

"Maybe she has a little help from three good fairies like in _Sleeping Beauty_," Rachel looked at him with a smile on her face. She loved Disney movies.

Finn pulled a confused face. "I'm not sure which one you mean…does that have the carpet and the talking parrot?"

"Finn! No, that's _Aladdin_." She giggled. "No, it's—the one…you know…" She bit her lip.

"_I know you; I walked with you once upon a dream.  
I know you; the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam…" _

She stopped singing as Finn began to smile slowly. She gasped and threw the muffin wrapper at him. He chuckled as it hit his chest and fell on his lap.

"You knew which movie it was!"

"Guilty." Even though he totally didn't feel that way. "I just wanted to hear you sing. You've been quiet in glee lately."

She avoided his last sentence and smiled widely, sipping her tea. "Well if you wanted private performances all you had to do was ask."

Finn forced his mind to stay in a non-dirty place after that sentence. "I will keep that in mind." He set the wrapper that she threw at him on the table.

"So your mom is a seamstress?"

Finn shrugged and nodded. Was that what it was called? "She just likes sewing stuff in her spare time. She made the flower girl's dress for my cousin's wedding." He thought a moment. "You know she could make you a dress for prom. She just has to measure you and buy—"

"No, Finn." Rachel shook her head. "I couldn't—I can't ask your mom to do that."

"Well, first of all, I would ask her and—why are you shaking your head again?"

"Finn." She sighed and looked down. Finn swallowed and reached across the table to take her hand. When she felt his touch, she looked up. Tears were filling her eyes. "I don't have the money for that sort of thing. She would deserve to be paid for her service and I just—I can't."

_Come on, Rachel. Let me do something nice for you…make up for all the times I was such an ass-clown. _

"You wouldn't have to pay, consider it a friendly favor." He ran his thumb over the inside of her wrist, he could feel her pulse quicken as he did so.

She bit her lip nervously. "Would your mom even _do_ that for me? I mean—I'm sure you told her why our relationship ended…" She tried to pull her hand from his but he wouldn't let her. "I'm sure she thinks I'm _horrid_."

Finn nearly chuckled. "Rachel, my mom's not like that. Just because we broke up—"

"Because I kissed Puck."

"Because we both made mistakes," he said firmly, squeezing her hand. "Doesn't mean my mom is going to think you're the worst person on the planet."

She smiled and blushed softly; he wanted to run his fingertips over it. "Good, I really like your mom."

He smiled and squeezed her hand again. "I know." He said softly.

"You don't have to do all this, Finn." She looked down at his hand wound around hers. Her voice was even softer than before, like she was afraid that he'd pull back and leave.

"Yeah, but I want to get it right this time." Her head snapped up to look at him as he said that. And, yeah, he knew he used those lyrics that had come from her song—the ones that showed how desperate, scared and sad she was.

She just wanted to get one thing right and she kept messing up every time she tried to the point where she was about to give up. He knew what that felt like and he understood that more than he could ever tell her. He was tired of screwing things up with her—he refused to lose her again. He refused to keep doing it wrong when it came to her.

Finn squeezed her hand again. "I'm not going to screw this up again."

She smiled warmly at him, squeezing his hand right back. "Me neither."

He wished he could have said that earlier—before he pushed her away and made her kiss Puck, before taking Quinn away from Sam, before Samchel, before this pregnancy thing or _whatever_ was wrong with Rachel. He wished he would've been able to tell her that he was sorry for screwing everything up and that they were going to be okay—because they were something special together, Rachel and him.

Not him and Quinn.

Or her and Sam.

Yeah, he _really_ wished he would have been able to tell her that sooner. Maybe then he wouldn't have to hide all these emotions behind a friendship wall and use baking as an excuse to actually get her to be honest with him.

O0o0o0o0

After a very long shift, Rachel was yawning every fifteen minutes. Finn swore she was…he'd been watching her for the last hour. He felt bad she was so tired—all he wanted to do was scoop her up, take her home, and tuck her into bed. She stacked her last installment of bar soap and smiled softly at him.

"All done. I have to clock out and get my coat."

He nodded and followed her to the back of the store again. Some employees were headed back there as well, eager to get home to their beds after a tiring shift.

Finn watched Rachel clock out at exactly eleven PM and hang up her apron, making sure she moved her wallet and phone into her coat pockets. She pushed her arms through the thick, raspberry colored sleeves and flipped her hair so it wasn't trapped under her coat. She buttoned the very large white buttons and then took a light pink scarf from the same hook her coat had been on. She wrapped it loosely around her neck.

"I can't thank you enough for staying here to keep me company for my _entire_ shift. You really didn't need to."

He smiled. "I wanted to; it was…I had a nice time."

Rachel laughed. "Don't lie! You were bored stiff. It's not very interesting to stack sheets and color coordinate towels for hours on end."

Finn beamed at her. "No! I loved putting bars of soap in green and blue piles. Not to mention those lamp shades too…I don't think I've had more fun putting those on the top shelves for you." He winked and she playfully elbowed him in the side.

"Yeah," she said sarcastically. "Enthralling."

He chuckled and followed her outside. The wind whipped around them, blowing some fallen leaves. She stopped before they reached the curb, which dipped into a small walkway before the parking lot.

"Well, I suppose I will see you tomorrow?"

Finn paused and turned, the heels of his feet leaning over the edge of the curb a little as he looked at her. "Yeah, how bout ten?"

She shrugged. "Whatever time you can manage to get out of bed." She smiled softly, almost affectionately. "I will already be awake at seven to complete my morning routine."

He smirked. "Fine. 9:30…but you're pushing it." He gently bumped her arm with his.

She giggled. "I will bring coffee and homemade strawberry pancakes for you."

"And I'll totally be less cranky with pancakes."

She bit her lower lip as she smiled. "Well, I'm waiting for Sam to come pick me up so…he should be here any minute."

"Oh right." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You know, I'll stay with you until he gets here. I don't want you standing here by yourself with it being dark out and everything."

He didn't think Rachel's smile could be any warmer when he said that. "Are you sure? Your mom is probably worried…it's late."

Yeah, that was true. But he had texted her and told her where he was—and surprisingly she was fine with it. Whenever he told her he was staying later with Quinn at her house there was always some sort of argument or something. Maybe his mom liked Rachel more… Rachel had made her pumpkin bread the first time she'd met her, told her Finn had amazing potential and helped him sort through different college applications, she'd asked her about her favorite thing to make for dessert and cared about her answer, she had even helped his mom clean up after dinner the loads of times she had come over.

Finn knew Rachel was great with parents, she like…knew all the right things to say and was polite, calm and super nice all at the same time. Quinn was polite but it was just…different. Uninterested. His mom was his best friend. He had grown so close to her after everything with his dad and Burt. And Quinn had never tried to bond with her—all she ever wanted to do was eat dinner and then go upstairs and make out. Rachel understood—her dads were her best friends too.

Rachel and his mom's closeness probably also had to do with the fact that Rachel missed having a mom a lot more than she liked to admit. They bonded; they laughed together and talked like old friends. Finn missed that.

"No, it's fine. I can spare a few more minutes of my time." He winked.

"Well how generous of you." Rachel joked.

She sat down on the curb and set her legs out in front of her. It was a very un-Rachel like thing to do, especially in a skirt but he figured her feet hurt or something from the long shift. He sat next to her, extending his long legs to rest next to hers. She crossed her legs and smoothed out her skirt.

He glanced at her; she was wrapping her arms around herself, shivering a bit in the night air. He smiled because—like, it couldn't have been a more perfect moment.

He stood, went over to his car, and ignored her questioning him because he'd be right back over. He grabbed the blanket from the back seat; he still kept it there…just in case. Not for Quinn though because she wasn't Rachel Berry and didn't wear skirts when Lima had its bi-polar cold days in the middle of May.

She smiled as he sat back next to her, opening up the blanket and settling it over her legs. "Thanks."

"Well I couldn't let your legs get all frostbitten."

She let out a small laugh. "It's not that cold out, Finn."

He pouted. "Fine…I'll just take this back then."

Finn quickly pulled the blanket off her legs and she squeaked, trying to get it back. "Finn! No!" She reached across him, trying to tug it out of his grip.

He smiled widely as she struggled to pull it out of his hands and back onto her lap. And then he noticed how close she was to him. Her arms were across his chest, trying to grab the blanket, her right leg almost overlapping his left one, her face was right next to his. If she turned her head their lips would touch.

He let go of the blanket then, letting her grab it and smile in triumph as she put it back over her legs. No. No. It was not going to happen like this.

"_You can kiss me if you want to."  
"I want to." _

And he still wanted to. But if that were to happen again—he was going to do it right. And that meant both of them had to be single. No more Sam or Quinn, no more lying or cheating.

Just them.

He saw a car pull into the parking lot. He wondered if it was Sam. Did he have a blanket in the back seat for her to keep her warm?

She looked at him, smiling and blushing softly when she realized Finn was already looking at her.

"Well, that's Sam. I should go so he doesn't have to get out and walk me to the car." She smiled shyly and looked at her legs. "He does that."

Finn swallowed. He had to ask. It'd been nagging him all night—catching him, stabbing him in the side when he was at his happiest with her. What if he was right? What if by breaking up with Rachel had made her into that girl that he thought she wasn't?

She stood as she did. "Rachel." Rachel turned to look at him as she handed him the blanket. He heard a car door close in the distance. "There's something I want to ask you."

She nodded. "Okay…" Her eyebrows dipped a little, confused.

He breathed out. "And…I don't want you to get mad."

Her smile faded slowly. "Is everything okay?"

Finn couldn't look her in the eyes. "Rachel, are you pregnant?" Softly; afraid of the answer.

Her eyes darted to his and he eventually looked at her even though he was trying to avoid it. "Why would you think that?"

"Because…" he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "You're different. You're quiet in glee, the sweatpants, the job and the money…and—and crying, I just—"

"Crying? When have you seen me—" Her eyes looked into his.

He knew he looked guilty, he could feel it all over his face. He swallowed as her face fell into a cold, hard stare, masking a whole lot of hurt and pain in her eyes.

Finn looked away. Rachel didn't speak for a while. When he finally found the courage to look at her, her eyes were wide and filled with tears.

"Were you—?"

"Rachel…"

"You _didn't._ Finn."

He shook his head, trying to backtrack. "I…no, I just—" He took a step towards her but she took one back, keeping the same distance between them. She felt so far away.

"_Don't_ lie to me!" She yelled, voice strained. The sound hurt his ears.

"I came into the locker room to get my car keys and—" His voice was shaking so badly. _Oh God, Rachel, please don't cry._ "I heard you crying, I was just, and I was worried."

"So you eavesdropped on me and my boyfriend?"

He winced. "It wasn't like that…"

"It is like that. It's always like that! Jessie, Sam—you can't be the jealous ex-boyfriend Finn, you can't. I—I needed you as a friend." Her voice cracked and the guilt he felt crashed down on him.

It was like being punched in the gut. It was the worst thing he had felt in his life. Even worse than the time he had ruined his mom's favorite cookie sheet—he knew it had been a bad idea to use it as a base for a volcano in his 7th grade science class.

"I'm _not_ pregnant, Finn." Her face was doing that crumbling thing again but she tried to pull it together to speak to him. "But thanks for thinking I sleep around like _your_ girlfriend."

He just stared at her, tears pricking the back of his eyes. The lump in his throat ached. He felt like he should've been angrier at Rachel's jab at Quinn but all he could think about was how insulted Rachel sounded. He had _never_ meant that. She was so hurt and fuck, how had he screwed everything up in such a short amount of time.

"Rach…"

"Hey, what's going on?"

Finn turned to see Sam approach them. He watched him glance between Rachel and him. Rachel sniffled and ran a hand under her right eye, catching falling tears. As soon as Sam saw Rachel crying, he put a hand on her arm, eyes filled with concern.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

She tried smiling and brushing off how upset she was. Finn wanted to crawl in a hole. "Nothing."

Sam's head turned, looking directly at Finn. Concern to anger blazing in his eyes.

"What did you say to her?"

Rachel shook her head, tired. "No, Sam. Don't…"

Finn must have still looked guilty because as he watched Rachel try to grab Sam's hand he came towards him anyways to—hit him? Finn flinched and Rachel grasped his arm, tugging.

"Sam! No, please, just…please, can you take me home?"

"I'm not just going to let him stand here and say shit to you, Rachel." He snapped at her, obviously tired of how the rest of the student body and apparently now, Finn, walked all over her like a doormat.

"Hey, come on man. Don't yell at her like that…" Finn said softly, not wanting to set him off again—but Rachel was shaken enough already. She didn't need Sam screaming at her…even though it seemed like an accident. He was just pissed and didn't know what to do with his anger.

Finn totally understood that feeling.

Rachel slowly rubbed Sam's arm and looked up at him, trying to get him to look at her. When they finally connected eyes Sam seemed to calm down, well at least a little. "What makes them so much better than you that they think—?"

Rachel interrupted him. "Finn didn't say anything to me." Finn raised his eyebrows. "I-I had a really rough day at work. Finn came to buy paint for his mom and he was just…making sure I was okay." She sniffled softly.

Why was she lying to Sam for him? After everything he'd said…done. She could have easily told him what he'd accused her of—Sam probably wouldn't think twice about hitting him.

He looked between her and Sam, trying to see if he bought it. Finn licked his dry lips as Rachel looked at him. She briefly connected eyes and then looked away, running her hand over her wet cheek.

"Yeah," Finn's voice sounded odd. "Can you believe they don't carry Avatar blue?"

He tried to be more convincing, as much as he could be anyways. He thought the Avatar comment might help but all Sam did was shake his head, running his hand through his blonde hair.

"Yeah…uhm, sorry Finn. I didn't mean to…"

"It's cool," Finn interrupted. "Don't worry about it."

He nodded softly, moving his hand to rub Rachel's back in a soothing motion. "Let's get you home."

She tried to smile again and murmured a goodnight to Finn. Sam nodded his head at him, another silent apology and put his arm around Rachel. She leaned into his body, her arm going around his waist. Her head rested against his chest, Finn swallowed thickly as he leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her head.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, staring at where Sam and Rachel had walked to Sam's car. She wasn't pregnant—and that he was thankful as hell for. But naturally, he had managed to hurt her really bad in the process of finding that information out.

He got into his car, throwing the blanket into the back seat. Would she still come over to bake cookies tomorrow? He sighed. He doubted it. He ran his hand over his face.

He got his phone out. He wasn't going to leave this be, he had to try and fix it. He hadn't been lying to himself or to her. Finn wasn't going to lose her again. No, he was her friend. And he was going to be there for her whether she wanted it or not.

To: Rachel  
Message: Rach, i'm sry

All he got back was an: "I miss you, heading to bed. Lots of love baby (;" from Quinn.

That he didn't reply to.

O0o00o

I hoped everyone enjoyed! :) Thanks for reading! And for your reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, so basically this was a reaaaaaaaly long chapter that I broke into two chapters :) so it's a nice treat for all of you because I had to do allll this homework and that's why it took so long to update, sorry about that! I also changed the rating to M because there is…sensual themes and swearing. So just telling everyone.

Enjoy everyone! Thanks for all the amazing reviews!

O0o0o0o

Chapter 6

Finn finally managed to crawl into bed at midnight. Sleep, however, didn't come until much later. He got a shower, his mom made him warm milk, he played his X-Box, counted sheep—_nothing_ was making him tired. Sure, his body was exhausted, Beiste was working the football players hard for next week's game, but his mind was running a mile a minute. He sent Rachel three more texts, a slur of apologies. He figured she was asleep by two in the morning. He ran his hands over his face, a headache from lack of sleep starting to brew with a pounding pressure at his temples and forehead. He couldn't stop thinking about how hurt Rachel had looked before Sam had approached them. He wished he had never said anything but he couldn't squash that nagging feeling of needing to know. He'd insulted her. He sighed and flipped over onto his stomach, running his right cheek over his pillow.

He hadn't even realized he had compared her to Quinn until Rachel had said something. He groaned softly and shook his head. He had walked right into that one. Rachel _wasn't_ Quinn and…wasn't that kind of the whole point? He shouldn't have thought Rachel was pregnant—he understood why she looked so insulted. She probably felt like he didn't know her at all to think she'd be so irresponsible like that. He let out a long breath and closed his eyes. He'd have to fix this as soon as he could—regardless if she pushed him away. He was _going_ to get through to her. He was so worried about her and reaching in every direction to find out what was wrong—everything with a little bit of evidence looked legit. And he _had_ a lot of shit pointing to the idea that she was pregnant.

He looked at his bedside table and opened the drawer, pulling out a picture of him and Rachel from last summer. He should have made sure before he accused her—or asked her, whatever. He sighed. He ran his finger over the picture, sliding the dust off the glass. It amazed him how things could still gather dust even if they were tucked away in a drawer. He smiled softly at the picture, smiling faces looking back at him. It was from the 4th of July picnic in his backyard. Rachel was standing in a sundress, stars and stripes decorating the jean fabric. Finn was standing behind her, arms around her waist—pulling her tight and close to him. Finn was wearing jean cut-offs, a navy blue shirt and a goofy grin on his face. It had been _so_ hot out that day—and it wasn't just because Rachel was in a cute jean dress, a red bikini underneath. He remembered Rachel turning around and kissing him after the picture was taken—she had tasted like watermelons and lemonade. They had split popsicles and threw water balloons at each other with Finn's little cousins—Rachel had gotten soaking wet, which was perfectly fine in Finn's eyes and for the weather. But when it had gotten late, a little wind picking up at night, it'd gotten somewhat chilly. Rachel had changed out of her swim suit, putting her jean dress back on—and one of Finn's hoodies over top. He'd sat with her on a blanket in his yard, pulling her between his legs to rest against his chest while her dads helped his mom make brownies with red, white and blue sprinkle stars and his uncle set up fireworks a few yards away, trying hard not to set himself on fire as he did so.

She had turned and pushed her face into his neck, placing kissing that made him want to push her down on the blanket and kiss her till he couldn't breathe or needed the mailman to calm down. Instead he had just pulled back and tipped her chin with his finger, kissing her lips gently, whispering that he loved her against them while his other arm tightened around her waist. Perfect end to a perfect day.

He glanced at the bedside table at the picture that was in its place. He'd replaced the picture of Rachel and him with one of him and Quinn so fast that he barely remembered doing it. How long had it been there; a perky blonde in the place of a passionate brunette? His thumb ran over Rachel's face absentmindedly. He remembered the day he had taken the picture of them and shoved it in the drawer—it had been the day Rachel had kissed Puck, well the day she had _told_ him about it anyways. He'd been so angry, pissed off, hurt—he had come home and took down everything that reminded him of her (notes, photos, valentines, little beaded necklaces she had made him that he didn't wear, a giraffe she had brought him for his birthday that had been sitting on his bed, clothes she had left at his house, she had left _so_ much music behind. Finn could have started music store). Finn had taken the photo of him and Rachel (summer kisses, brownies and fireworks) and shoved it so hard into the bedside drawer that he thought it might have broken; cracked the glass or something.

The picture of him and Quinn was sad and awkward—he was holding her the same way he was holding Rachel in the July picture but it was different; tense somehow. His arms were loose around her waist, not pulling her into him to be so much closer to her. He was smiling but he wasn't happy. He sighed and turned the photo around so he wouldn't have to look at how fucked up he'd gotten—how messed up Rachel and him were. He _knew_, he didn't need Quinn's smiling, smug face staring at him to remind him. He eventually fell asleep, the framed photo of Rachel and him loosely in his hand on his pillow. He totally had a dream about Rachel in that red bikini.

0o0o0o0o

_Rachel was making pies in his kitchen, her long brown hair sliding down the curves of her back…when had she grown her hair out? It had been no longer than just below her shoulders, curling into little satin curls that he wanted to play with, run his fingers through. Why the hell was he focusing on her _hair_? She was in a red bikini, for Christ's sake and making cherry pies in _his_ kitchen. _

"_You want whipped cream on your pie?" Rachel asked angelically—yet somehow it was full of naughty hidden meanings._

_Finn groaned in response as Rachel straddled his legs on the chair with the whipped cream can, she shook it and Finn's not-so-hidden-manhood sprung to life as her hips jerked at the movement. _

_She pushed down on the can's white tip and whipped cream slid out along Rachel's finger, puffy white clouds of sugary goodness. She licked some whipped cream off the pads of her fingers and then ran her index finger along Finn's lower lip. She smiled softly and her nose bumped against his when she lowered her head to be eyelevel with him. Finn watched as Rachel's lips moved closer to his, grazing her upper lip along his lower one. He could taste whipped cream and her strawberry chap stick. _

_Finn's hips jerked up into hers as he leaned in and kissed her, his mouth moving swiftly over hers. His tongue slid into her mouth, stroking her tongue in a rhythmic, hungry fashion. She tasted like pie crust and strawberry lemonade and something just…distinctly Rachel. Something he couldn't describe or compare to anything because it was just purely _her_. When Finn's arms wrapped around her back and waist—protective, possessive, loving and lustful; she made this mewing sound that made Finn's eyes roll back in his head and a persistent, throbbing against Rachel's heat under that red bikini. He undid Rachel's top and –heard a bell. His lips froze against hers, confusion pulling his eyebrows together. _

_Rachel pulled back from him. "What's wrong?" She started kissing his neck, which felt _really_ fucking good. But…where the hell had that ringing bell come from? _

"_Did you hear that-?"_

_There it was again, a loud, shrill bell. He turned to look around, trying to find the sound that was disturbing him from getting to home base with Rachel._

_He heard it once again and turned to his right. There, standing with a very large bell, was Quinn. She was slamming a hammer to it, making a sickeningly loud noise. He covered his ears._

"_Quinn, knock it _off_!" _

_He didn't even care that she was seeing a half naked Rachel on his lap, or the obvious hard on tenting his pants…he really did fucking care however about the loud noise she was making. She just keep hitting the hammer off the bell, harder and faster, the sound getting louder and louder and—_

Finn jolted awake, nearly hitting his head off the desk lamp that stretched halfway across his bed. He shoved the thing away, it creaking as it swung to the opposite side of his desk. He had to remember to move the light back after he was done doing math homework in his bed. He was going to wake up one morning and end up slamming his forehead off it. The lamp was some kind of metal too—that shit would _hurt_. He leaned back against his headboard and he swallowed as he realized it was all a dream. None of it had been real—God, what a friggin tease.

He saw that the picture of Rachel and him was still on his pillow, a little bit of drool on the edge of the frame. He put the picture on his nightstand and ran his hands over his face. He shifted and felt that uncomfortable stiffness between his legs, throbbing heat waiting to be released. He ran his hand over his face. Was fantasizing over Rachel such a bad thing? She was hot—toned body, legs for miles, freckles on her nose, beauty marks on her back and on her right shoulder blade, small breasts but…they fit perfectly in his hands. No, it wasn't wrong; she _was_ his ex-girlfriend after all. He figured as long as he didn't pretend Rachel was Quinn when they were making out or something then it was fine. It wasn't cheating…not exactly anyways.

He groaned and threw the sheets off his body; he stood up out of bed and looked for sweats to put on. Maybe if he went for a run on the treadmill in the basement or worked out his…he would calm down. He refused to stroke it out because there was no way he wouldn't be able to _not_ think about Rachel taking off that bikini…and he couldn't do that to Quinn. They were together or some shit—she didn't fantasize about Sam when Finn was around. He frowned and rubbed the back of his neck; least he thought she didn't. Whatever, the point _was_, his emotions were already screwed up. He _had_ to start thinking and behaving like Rachel's friend. She deserved some stability from him, someone she could count on, and someone that wasn't going to confuse her with mixed emotions. He'd learned his lesson enough times; they both had to be single. And they weren't. Until then, Finn put on his friend glasses. He needed to be her friend if he wanted to go to her house today and apologize for last night, maybe he could convince her to come over and make cookies.

He changed his t-shirt and checked his phone. A text from his mom said that she'd be gone for most of the day—something about Burt and new furniture? He briefly remembered her mentioning it when he got home last night. He had been 'sulking' as his mom told him so he didn't hear all she said about it. Sulking, he sighed, yeah, he guessed he had been. He couldn't get a hold of Rachel—she was ignoring him and all he could think about was the last thing she said to him, the hurt, anger, and tears in her eyes, Sam's pissed off face and clenching fists watching to punch him. He sighed and scrolled through the rests of his texts. There were four from Quinn and none from Rachel. His "little problem" went down significantly as he thought more about last night—Rachel's teary face, trying to pull back Sam from punching him, walking to his car with him—arms around each other. Her boyfriend. Finn winced; sick to his stomach. Those feelings, unfortunately, took out the bikini Rachel ones in an instant.

He sighed and looked over Quinn's texts messages, scanning but not really reading them. He was getting a headache just thinking about the loads of shit packed into her texts: talking about prom or nationals and goddamn cupcakes and dresses. Stress gripped his body, making his muscles ache and his head pound. Fuck. He needed coffee and a big breakfast if he was going to deal with Quinn and her crazy half the day. Thunder crashed down outside, rain whipping through the air and pelting the windows of the house. So he'd make coffee…a lot of it, head to Rachel's and apologize and probably get the door slammed in his face and then head to Quinn's with a fake smile on his face and stupid ideas that she'd shoot down about banners. He was miserable already and he'd been awake for friggin ten minutes.

_Dinnnng-donnnggg_

His head snapped to the right, looking at his bedroom door. That sound—it was the same as Quinn hitting that goddamn bell in his dream.

Oh. Shit, that repeating noise had been the _doorbell_. Finn rushed downstairs to get the door. Now on top of everything he felt guilty about making someone wait in the rain until he got his ass out of bed and managed to calm down his Rachel-hard-on. He swung around the corner, his socks sliding against the kitchen floor. The door bell rang again. Finn got to the door, trying to work on the deadbolt that always stuck. He unlocked the doorknob and sighed.

"Hold on one second!" He called to the person through the door.

He swore as the deadbolt snapped out of place, pinching the inside of his finger.

Finn opened the door and found a drenched Rachel in her pink and white polka dotted raincoat. Her hair was soaked even though she had her hood up.

"Rachel! What are you doing here?" Finn yelled over the pouring rain. She frowned and he shook his head. "Come on," He gently took her arm and pulled her inside, closing the door.

"You invited me, remember?"She said softly, pushing her hood back. She sniffled, water dripping from her hair and raincoat.

He went behind her and helped her pull her rain jacket off. The thin material stuck to her navy blue v-necked shirt underneath. For a rain jacket it hadn't kept her very dry. He hung up her jacket by the door so that if it dripped it wouldn't get the carpet completely wet.

"Did you walk here or something?" Finn asked as he walked to the hallway closet. He opened the creaky door, pulling a few towels and one of his hoodies. He seriously had a ton of them.

"Yeah, I uhm…I didn't have a ride." She admitted, softly as Finn came over with the towels. He wrapped one tightly around her shoulders.

He went to stand around the front of her. "You _walked_? It's like a flood outside, Rachel."

She chuckled softly and he smiled just a little, his hands coming around the sides of her head. He pulled her hair out from underneath the towel. He opened the other towel and ran it over her hair a little, trying to dry her hair.

"Why didn't you just call me? I could have come to pick you up." He pulled the towel back, running his hand through her hair; an accidental reaction to habit—he was surprised she let him do it.

She took the towel from him and continued to dry her hair. "And well," He looked down. "After last night, I really thought you weren't going to show up."

She licked her lips. "I wasn't going to come…"

He swallowed as she avoided his eyes. He wanted to tell her how happy he was that she showed up, how awesome it was to see her, how relieved he was to talk with her—a chance to make things right…again. He just decided that things might never be perfectly right between them. They both got things wrong, messed up, made mistakes. They had to work hard at it—at _them_ but wasn't that kind of the whole point? Didn't that make it worth it or something?

He waited for her to continue, playing with the sweatshirt's strings in his hands.

"I got into a small argument with Sam and…" He looked down at her as her voice got softer and softer, wet strands falling and blocking her face. "I came here."

Finn swallowed, so many questions ran through his head. What happened? Was she alright? Finn nearly rolled his eyes at himself. Of _course_ she wasn't alright. She was at his friggin house basically against what she wanted and soaking wet from the rain. He kept his mouth shut on that, the last time he asked questions it almost got him hit and he was left staring at the parking lot pavement like an asshat trying to get his ex girlfriend to text him back.

She dried the ends of her hair and handed him the towels, shivering.

"You're soaking wet…you're going to get sick if you stay in those clothes. Come on." He motioned her to follow him upstairs. He felt her hesitate but eventually follow him up the stairs and to his room.

He looked through his drawers, trying to find something she could wear. He threw the hoodie that he had carried from the closet downstairs onto the bed.

Rachel slowly entered the bedroom. He turned and watched her notice the picture of him and her on the 4th of July—God, now was not the time for a red bikini comeback!

"I'm not sure if I have anything that won't be extremely big on you."

She smiled softly at the picture and then looked at him. He nearly laughed—she looked like a little mouse that had been dunked in a bucket of water. She didn't seem mad at him anymore; at least compared to last night…which was a major relief on his part. Though he could tell she was rather upset over whatever she fought about with Sam. Maybe he could get her to talk about it. She was here, in his house, the rain outside like the storm before Noah and the Ark, they were going to bake, and he was going to make her some tea to warm her up—and it'd be friggin _better_ than that tea Sam gave her at school.

"Are you trying to get me to _undress_ for you, Finn Hudson?" She asked. Her voice was serious but he could feel a hint of teasing.

He raised his eyebrows and then smirked. "Are you a mind reader?" He asked jokingly. She gasped and slapped his arm. He laughed. "Hey! Ow, you have strong hits for someone—" She smacked his chest this time.

"Finn!"

"For someone so miniature." His laughs were forming around his words; he tried to bring his hands up to block her in case she decided to throw another one at him. He grabbed one of her wrists and held it loosely. "No more," he chuckled. "or I won't give you my favorite hoodie to keep warm."

A large smile broke out on her face. "The one I got you for your birthday?"

"I gave that one to Goodwill." He laughed (it felt _so_ good to do that with her, he was going to do it as much as possible) as she tried to throw another hit at him.

"I'm kidding!" He successfully avoided her as he made his way to his closet. He searched for the hoodie she had got him for his birthday—it was a faded blue (she said it worked wonderfully well complimenting his brown eyes…and that was a direct quote) and the inside of the hood was grey. It had been the one thing he hadn't thrown into the Rachel-break-up-box and took it up to the attic.

"You're very disorganized…"

He shook his head and turned to look at her. She was looming closer to him, peeking inside his closet. He kneeled and looked inside one of his drawers to the right side of his closet.

"No, actually, _you _are just so orderly…and organized that it makes normal people look messy."

She giggled. "There is nothing wrong with knowing where things are…"

"I totally know where everything is…" He grunted, reaching to the far back of the drawer. "Score!" He pulled the hoodie out and grinned at her. "See?"

She smiled and took it from him. "I was _obviously_ wrong." She said dramatically, making him smile as he looked for pants for her to wear. "I won't say another word on the subject."

He smiled again and shook his head, pulling out a pair of sweats that were just a bit small on him. So they'd be perfect for her to wear…least the pant legs wouldn't be so long that she'd be tripping over them or anything.

"Okay, here." Finn turned to look at her, she was holding his hoodie close to her body and her nose was buried in the fabric. He could tell she was cold, her arms were covered with goosebumps and her nose was a light pink as she pulled back from the hoodie to grab the pants.

She smiled. "Thank you, Finn."

"Doesn't smell bad, does it?" He asked, referring to the hoodie as she brought it back up to her nose, shivering a little.

"Hmm?" She frowned as she pulled it back again. Her face went confusion to realizing what he was talking about. "Oh! Oh, no. It doesn't." She smiled. "I…I've always thought you smelled rather nice." She said softly, shyly. It made affection bloom in Finn's chest. "Like soap and cologne…and I don't know, something that is just…purely you. Is that stupid?"

Rachel blushed a little and Finn shook his head. "No, no—" He gave her a close lipped smile. "Not stupid at all."

She smiled softly and nodded. She slowly slipped her flats off—which were sopping wet. His mom probably wasn't going to be thrilled about the wet or even muddy tiny footprints from the front door to his room. Finn hadn't even thought about her shoes…he had been kind of preoccupied about making sure she didn't catch cold.

"Why don't you go change in the bathroom and I'll make you some tea. I think we have peppermint?"

Rachel beamed. "I love peppermint!"

Finn chuckled. "I _know_, that's why I offered it."

No one in his family really liked tea, or peppermint for that matter. Finn had bought it for Rachel back when they were dating and she spent some time over his house. She loved tea but his family was coffeeholics. So he had a few teabags in case she wanted some when she was over. It was probably in the back of the cabinet where the coffee was…or maybe it got pushed behind the cereal? Maybe he should have offered _after_ he found it.

He followed her out of his room and watched her walk down the hall to the bathroom. "Just bring your clothes downstairs and I'll put them in the dryer." She stuck her head out of the bathroom and smiled.

"Okay, thank you Finn."

He smiled in response and went down the hall, standing outside the bathroom door a moment. "There's a blow-dryer in the second drawer on the left for your hair." He leaned against the doorframe and watched her pull open the drawer and set the appliance on the sink.

Finn looked at the clothes that she rested on the top of the toilet. "Need any help or anything?"

She snorted in the most girliest way he had ever heard and playfully pushed him out of the doorway. "Stop trying to flirt with me, Finn Hudson."

He chuckled as she closed the door in his face. "Alright, I'll be downstairs then." He turned the corner and headed downstairs.

She had been kidding, he knew that. And he had been joking. But he couldn't deny that the underlying flirting didn't mean anything.

O0o0o0o0

Finn popped the lid off of the kettle and held it under the faucet of his kitchen sink, letting it fill up with hot water.

It had been wrong to flirt with Rachel upstairs…yeah, it wasn't like she wasn't flirting right back with him and all but…he shouldn't have been doing it. It wasn't fair to Quinn and he kept getting this nagging feeling that he was taking advantage of Rachel in her upset state or something. Well no more—this baking date (no, not a date, _session_) had a point. He was going to get to the bottom of what was wrong with Rachel, starting with this fight she had with Sam that ended up putting her on his doorstep. And then he'd move onto phase two: what was wrong with Rachel on a bigger scale. She wasn't pregnant and he felt like she was being honest with him about that…so what else caused all those un-Rachel like symptoms?

He turned the fire on and the right burner on stove ignited. He set the kettle on the burner, snapping the lid back on. He heard the hair-dryer start up upstairs—the whole bathroom was going to end up smelling like Rachel's shampoo.

Finn's cell phone chirped in his sweatpants pocket. He hurriedly pulled it out, turning it over in his hand. He thought it had been his mom checking in but…no such luck. It was Quinn. He shifted on his feet, trying to decide whether he should answer or not. He sighed and pressed a button on his phone, holding the small device up to his ear.

He didn't get one word out before, "I thought your phone was _broken_ or something. Why haven't you been answering my texts?"

"Hello to you too, Quinn." Finn remarked dryly, leaning against the kitchen counter next to the kettle.

"Don't start with me, Finn." He couldn't believe how angry he felt over how pissed she was that he hadn't been sitting by the phone all day just _waiting_ to hear from her. "I texted you over an hour ago! The flower shop closes at one!"

"Flower shop?" His eyebrows crinkled in confusion. "What?"

"The corsages! For prom? We need to get the light blue carnations; I've decided the wear the blue dress."

"…Alright, what does that have to do with the flower shop today? Quinn, the prom isn't for a week."

"Why are you being such an idiot, do you not listen to anything I _say_?" She shrieked.

Finn gritted his teeth in annoyance. He just sighed in response, knowing she'd continue talking over him regardless if he tried to defend himself.

"There is only one flower shop in this Podunk town. One, Finn." He could tell the way she said his name that she was fed up.

He felt like pushing the envelope—maybe she'd break up with him. He breathed out, trying to relax. _Give her the benefit of the doubt, Finn. _The voice in the back of his head wanted to smack upside his face once he thought that. Why did she deserve his understanding when she didn't give him a goddamn break? And calling him an idiot didn't weigh anything good in her favor.

"They only get so many shipments of flowers a month! With prom season _every_ girl and guy is getting their flowers! We need to get ours as soon as possible. If they run out of blue carnations our color scheme will be _ruined_!"

"Alright, so what do you expect me to do about this? Go out today, right now?" Exasperation leaked into his voice and he raked his fingers through his hair. Before she could speak he found himself yelling. "It's raining like the apocalypse outside, Quinn! You really want me to head out in this for goddamn flowers?"

The thunder outside shook the house as if to agree with him. He heard little, petite feet pad down the stairs afterwards. God, he had almost forgotten Rachel was here. She must have heard him yelling because she slowly entered the kitchen, like she was afraid of disrupting the conversation or making him angrier than he already sounded.

Finn tried giving her a small smile as she sat on one of the tall chair-stools and set her hands on the marble countertop of the island table in front of her. She smiled softly in return, looking down, her slightly frizzy and semi-damp hair falling to cover her face. He watched her play with the mug that he had set out on the counter for her tea.

Quinn had been saying something in his ear—not sure what. Pretty sure it was something mean and to make him feel bad for yelling at her. But all he could focus on was Rachel playing with her mug, curling her hair around her ear. The sleeve of his hoodie engulfed her hand—she looked so much tinier in his clothes.

"Quinn?" He questioned, turning away from Rachel. "You still there?"

She sniffled. Oh God. He sighed softly and closed his eyes. "Baby, please don't cry." He murmured in the guiltiest voice he could manage. "I'm sorry I yelled at you…I uhm, I had the worst night sleep and—"

Lie. Actually he couldn't remember a time where he had slept so soundly—well, he glanced at Rachel, maybe he could.

"I just want us to be perfect at prom." She cried. "Don't you want that too?"

Fuck his inability to not stand up for himself—he just couldn't help it. He couldn't handle it when girls cried, even though Quinn maybe deserved it with how crappy she'd been treating him lately.

"Of course I do." The kettle slowly started to whistle and he went over to turn the fire off. The noise quieted, settling into a dull hissing. Steam rose through the small opening at the mouth of the kettle.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? If the storm lets up, I'll go today."

She sniffled again and could hear her smile through her voice. "Okay, good. I love you, Finn." Her voice was warm…nice. Of course it was nice, she was getting her way.

Yeah. Right. "Me too." He hung up and angrily slammed his phone down on the counter. How the hell was he supposed to stick up for himself when he backtracked on every chance?

Rachel softly cleared her throat and Finn sighed, picking up the kettle and carefully pouring the hot liquid in her cup.

"Sorry you had to hear all that." He apologized softly, looking for her teabags in the cupboard after setting the kettle back down on the stove.

He pulled a small box out and opened it. Score. Right behind the cereal like he thought. Finn handed her a teabag and she rolled her sleeves up to unwrap it.

"It's okay," She said softly. "Is there…" She bit her lip. He had to tell her to stop doing that. Otherwise he was going to have a hard time resisting the urge to pick her up in his arms and have his way with her.

"Can I help at all?" She asked, large brown eyes looking into his. She rhythmically dunked her teabag into the hot water in the mug in front of her.

Yeah, she could him if she broke up with Sam, let Finn _in_, let him help her, hold her, kiss her, sing with her again, get him the hell away from Quinn before he strangled himself with one of those banners she made and go to prom with him. It'd be laughs, dancing and kisses with Rachel—not expensive dresses, ballots and crowns.

"No, you're already helping." He said, giving her a comforting smile. She smiled warmly in response, blowing on her tea.

"You warm enough?" He asked as he started to make coffee for himself.

"Yes, thank you Finn."

He smiled again (it was infectious when she was around, okay?). "Couldn't let you turn into an ice cube, Rach."

She giggled as Finn took out another mug for his coffee and set it on the counter. He filled up the coffee machine with water and set the timer after putting the coffee grounds in the top. The machine gurgled to life, slowly filling the room with a coffee shop smell.

"So…you gonna tell me what happened with Sam?" He pulled back the chair stool next to her and sat down. He licked his lips.

She was hesitating and he let her take her time. The point was to show her he could be there for her—not force information out that he wanted to know. He had already demonstrated how that hadn't worked last night.

Rachel glanced up from her mug and turned her head to look at him. He was already looking at her, watching her fingers curl around the mug. He wanted to take her hands, warm them up instead of letting a hot cup of tea do it.

"It was so stupid." She admitted softly. "He came over and I was going to make breakfast—Oh! I didn't bring you strawberry pancakes." She frowned, lower lip jutting out.

He tried not to laugh but a small chuckle escaped his lips anyways. "It's okay. You didn't really plan on coming here today…and besides, by the time you would have gotten here the pancakes would have been a soggy mess. Like sponges!"

She smirked and shook her head, pushing her bangs from her eyes. "I suppose you're right. My dad had just left for work as Sam came in and, you know, they said 'hi' to each other and pleasantries…"

Finn swallowed. Her dads trusted Sam enough to leave him alone with their daughter? Jealousy instantly filled his entire body, making his stomach go sour and heart ache. They had never trusted Finn and Rachel in her room let alone leave the damn house. How the fuck had Sam earned that privilege?

He bit the inside of his cheek, swallowing the urge to ask her. She hadn't been dating Sam for very long, he didn't understand how things had moved so fast. What if—Finn's fingers dug into his leg—what if Sam had tried to have his way with Rachel after her dad left and that's why they fought. Finn sighed very softly. Sam seemed like a pretty good stand up guy; he watched how he treated Rachel. He was polite, nice, chivalrous (he now knew the definition thanks to Google), he stood up for her, smiled at her in the halls, held her when she cried…on and on. He was certain Sam wasn't that type of guy… but he didn't know him _that_ well. It could have been possible.

All Finn knew was that if Rachel muttered one word that that might have happened; he was going to find Sam, pouring rain or not, and beat the ever loving shit outta him.

His hand relaxed on his leg as he watched Rachel sip her tea. _Cool it. Wait to see what happened before you go accusing people again. _

"Sam brought up last night in the parking lot."

Finn winced and leaned back in his chair. "What did he say?"

"Let's just say he didn't believe that you were just there to buy paint and…I admitted you came to spend my shift with me."

"And he was upset?"

"No…more like, offended?" She sighed, frustrated. "I don't know. Maybe angry too. Anyways, it escalated from there."

He stood up and went across the kitchen to the coffee pot, filling his mug with hot brown liquid. He sat back down with a spoon, reaching for the sugar in the middle of the table.

"He was upset that I lied to him about you but," She sighed, looking at her tea. "We're friends! I can't hang out with my friends?"

Finn watched as she took a slow sip of tea. He added sugar to his coffee…he figured it was best to stay quiet until she was done. He felt her look at him as he stirred the sugar into his coffee and took a sip. He felt the liquid warm his whole body.

She brought her hands up and ran them over her face. Lightning flashed outside, showering the kitchen in a bright light.

She tensed up a little and Finn took one of her hands from her face and squeezed it. "Hey, look at me."

She swallowed thickly and looked at his chest before meeting his eyes. He watched her bite the inside of her cheek.

"Was I…wrong to start dating him, Finn? We were good friends and—what if I messed everything up by being in a relationship?" Her voice was choked with tears.

It hadn't really hit Finn until right then—her voice, her tears, and her need for a good friend she could trust. Sam really meant something to her as a best friend. She was asking Finn for _advice_ on this. She trusted him to help her on this. She said she didn't want to come here but she hadn't seemed angry at all. She seemed upset—lost. It touched him that she wanted his opinion, that she trusted him to be there for her, to not be selfish about this. It was the first step—first step into letting him in. He could help her through this. A little piece of what was broken between them was slowly mended.

"Rachel, let's get one thing straight. You were…a great girlfriend." She smiled at his kind words, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "The _best_." He emphasized, bringing his other hand up to wipe that tear away. He pretended not to notice how his hand lingered on her face for a brief moment. "So, there is no doubt in my mind that you aren't being the best girlfriend you can be to Sam."

She let out a long breath and sniffled, smiling softly. She squeezed his hand. For someone who wasn't great with words he _seemed_ to be saying all the right things.

"And another thing, you're_ Rachel Berry_…" He shook her hand until her smile grew enough to make her giggle. "You're totally not going to settle for less than you deserve."

That's what made her amazing. That's what was going to get out of this asshat of a town.

"So if you want to date him or be good friends…whatever, you can do it." She smiled widely and he smirked, the tips of his ears blushing a little.

"Since when did you get so good with words, Finn Hudson?" She sipped her tea, still holding onto his hand.

He wasn't letting go, she'd have to pull back fast. Finn's eyebrows rose. "Are trying to incinerate that I wasn't good with words before?" He asked in mock hurt.

She laughed so loud—it was so…beautiful and genuine, carefree. He could fall in love with just her laugh.

"Insinuate, Finn. Not incinerate."

He blushed harder than he though he ever could. "Oh…right."

Rachel smiled brightly at him. "No, its okay…they sound the same."

Even though they didn't and no one could really confuse them like he had just done. But Rachel just smiled, sipped her tea and told him the difference between the two words…in detail.

He tried to listen to everything but he found himself getting distracted sometimes. Her face lit up when she could tell he was actually listening to her and not just nodding at her words, her mouth moved in a way that had him focusing on her lips which were a perfect shade of pink, her freckles on her nose reminded him of little stars in the sky and he wanted to brush his thumb over them.

She was happy to just take the time to explain the difference of the words to him. She wasn't irritated and never once called him an idiot.

And they were still holding hands.

00o0o0o0o0o

Second half of the long chapter continued in Chapter 7 :) thanks for reading and reviewing!


	7. Chapter 7

Second half of a really long chapter, turned into a new chapter ;) treat for my awesome readers! Thanks everyone for the reviews!

O0o0o0o0o

Chapter 7

"Okay," Rachel loomed over the cookbook. "After a half-a-cup of white sugar, I need one cup of packed brown sugar."

Packed? Finn frowned and looked at the empty cup and brown sugar bag. Why did it sound like the brown sugar was…packing up to go on vacation on something? Cookie recipes were weird. Finn successfully filled the half cup with white sugar and set it close to where Rachel was working on gathering the flour and melted butter. He knew baking was like…precise and everything. He couldn't just take all the things he needed, throw it into a bowl, stir and put it in the oven until they were round and…cookie-like.

He knew Rachel was a ninja at baking, like his mom. They both could handle any recipe, whether it was an easy five minute prep time or a hard many-level serves fifteen. It was also in the way Rachel looked when she baked. She smiled and hummed while she mixed. She breathed out—calm, not a care in the world as she poured salt on the teaspoon. They way she relaxed when she baked, it was soothing to her. The ingredients were dependable, predictable. Always measured, always correct, balanced, predictable. Always the same measureable ingredients to make the same desired outcome—time after time.

Finn's heart ached just a little. Rachel was always relaxed when baking because she could count on it to stay the same in her life, it'd never change on her since it was always so measured and certain.

He'd never been jealous of a precise one cup of brown sugar before but…he figured there was a first time for everything. He knew for certain that he was going to try and be just as dependable as these ingredients were for her. He was going to show her that he could be constant.

"Finn? Brown sugar?"

"Oh, sorry. So when you say packed…"

She smiled and took the large spoon from the counter and plunged it into the brown sugar bag, pulling out a decent clump. She dumped it into the measurement cup and pushed the spoon onto the brown sugar until it clumped together, molding it into the sides of the cup.

"It's almost like building a sandcastle." She handed him the spoon and he scooped out another clump-full of the sparkly brown sugar. He poured it into the cup and suddenly her hand was over his, fingers curling into the palm of his hand.

She squeezed his hand as she tried to guide his actions, moving his hand with hers as she showed him how to pack the sugar into the cup.

"So if you were at the beach you'd gather up the sand and pack it into a bucket, right?"

Finn managed a nod in her direction. He found it hard to concentrate on her story to help him understand why brown sugar was packing a sand castle when her warm hand was surrounding his. It was the softest thing he'd ever felt…like, when Rachel and him had visited a pet store one time on a date and Finn had held all these cute kittens. Fur all soft and fluffy. Yeah, her skin was softer than _that_.

Rachel smiled and let go of his hand. He tried not to look so dumbfounded. _Pull yourself together, Finn. Come on. _It was a harmless touch, a friendly gesture to help him understand how his hand was supposed to be positioned to pack brown sugar. He nearly rolled his eyes at himself as he scooped another helping of the shimmery brown powder out of the bag. Packing sugar wasn't rocket science, he probably could have figured out without Rachel's help. Not that he was regretting the fact that her hand had been over his or how she didn't call him stupid or give him a look of disapproval because he may not have understood simple tasks.

No, he regretted none of that. But he was going to have a hard time squashing the urge to ask her to help demonstrate things for him when his skin felt all tingly from being touched by her.

He packed the cup to the rim and set it next to her mixing bowl, luckily this recipe didn't call for a mixer. Finn wasn't exactly sure where his mom kept it. She liked to hide the baking supplies ever since he used that cookie sheet for his science class. Rachel had her lower lip between her teeth as she looked over the ingredients to see what came next.

"Does your mom like walnuts?"

Finn shook his head. "No."

She smiled. "Me neither!" Finn chuckled at how happy she seemed to have something in common with his mom. "We'll leave out the almonds then and just make original chocolate chip cookies."

Finn's stomach groaned hungrily at the idea of homemade, hot and chewy, chocolate chip cookies. When Finn had gotten the recipe book out from the cabinet, before they had started baking, Rachel and him took a few minutes to look through the recipes. What was awesome was that Rachel could basically make anything, from cherry pies to pound cakes to brownies and cookies. She flipped through the pages and had told him about times when she had made devil's food cake and pumpkin rolls and countless other baked goods. But it wasn't bragging like…in a snotty way or anything. She was just…genuinely happy when she was baking and he could feel that when she talked about it. Her happiness spread warmth throughout his body; like warming up from being out in the snow or something.

In the end they decided to make chocolate chip cookies. Rachel told him she could focus on Kurt's later tonight or in the morning. So instead Rachel wanted to make these cookies for his mom. They weren't for ballots or for prom queen but for his _mom_ and his heart swelled at the idea that Rachel wanted to make something special for her—he actually got the feeling she was still afraid that his mom disliked her. Which was ridiculous, he told her that, but if making cookies for his mom gave Rachel some comfort about that then he wasn't going to stop her or discourage her.

"This way your mom can at least feel like she's getting something for…helping me with my prom dress." Rachel had admitted softly as Finn tied one of his mom's cooking aprons around her waist.

Finn just smiled and shook his head. Her voice was soft, uncertain…like she wasn't sure if the plan to make her a dress was still on. It was. He had mentioned it at dinner when he was "sulking" and his mom had been thrilled at the idea. He wasn't sure if it was from the idea of putting a dress together or because it was Rachel. It was probably both.

"Rachel, I told you, don't worry about it. Consider it a friend's benefit." He had winked at her and that had earned him a playful yet hard slap to his chest.

He hadn't minded though because she was giggling when her hand collided with the grey shirt. And that laugh made something spark in Finn's chest; something that went straight to his heart and then circulated everywhere—even to his toes and the tips of his fingers.

"Chocolate chips?"

Finn turned and kneeled, opening up a drawer to where his mom kept the baking stuff—like sprinkles of all shapes and sizes, vanilla extract, cinnamon and…chocolate chip cookies. He smiled and picked up the bag, closed the drawer with his foot as he stood.

Thunder pounded outside and Finn looked up as the lights flickered, popping a few chips in his mouth. He saw Rachel step closer to him as the lights went off for a second before coming back on. He tried to ignore how his heart skipped.

"Okay, we better get these in before the power goes. They need to bake for fifteen to seventeen and I still need to scoop them—Finn!"

"What?" He jumped a little as she hit his arm.

"You're eating all the chips!" She tried to sound serious but a laugh escaped her mouth.

He smiled sheepishly, mouth full. "M'sorry. I'm hungry." He swallowed and handed her the chocolate chips before he smacked her again.

She just shook her head, smiling fondly as she dumped a good amount of chips into the mixing bowl, setting them on the counter. Where Finn may or may not have been eaten more of them.

She stirred the bowl and looked at the cookie sheet. "So she hides all her baking supplies except _one_ cookie sheet?"

Finn blushed. "Well…this one she's not worried about getting ruined. Like, we use this for everything in the oven. Pizza, French fries, chicken…cookies." He half smiled at her as he sprayed the cookie sheet with a non-stick.

"It's sad that she has to hide all her other baking supplies because she's worried about you using them in a classroom based experiment." She teased, smiling as she set the bowl down on the counter.

"I'm glad you think that's _funny_, Rachel."

She looked up at him and for a moment he could tell that she wasn't sure whether he was insulted or not. Before she could apologize he grabbed her sides and started tickling her.

She squealed happily and tried to move away from him but he leaned down and got a better hold of her, part of his upper body encircling hers.

"F-Finn!" She managed to choke out between monstrous giggles.

She jerked into his chest as his fingers curled in on her ribs where he knew her most ticklish spot was.

He grinned. "So you think it's funny, huh?" He chuckled over her laughs.

"No! No, stop! I'm sorry!"

"Was that a sorry I heard?" He teased.

"_Yes_!"

He smiled and stopped tickling her. She slumped back against his chest, panting heavily. A few random and small laughs escaped her lips every now and then as she tried to calm down. He stood behind her, having no problem at all that she was leaning against him for support; her head resting back against the space between his chest and left arm.

"You're mean." She finally said with a pout, somewhat out of breath.

She pulled away from him and he smiled, trying to ignore this annoying weight he felt by not having her so close to him anymore.

She needed to stop pouting; all he wanted to do was kiss her. He handed her the cookie scooper. "I am no such thing. _You're_ the mean one! How many times can you jab me about my mom not trusting me with baking supplies?" He joked.

She smiled widely as she started scooping the batter in evenly sized scoops and put them on the tray. "So…where is Kurt, Burt and your mom? I'm sorry, I should have asked sooner." She licked a bit of cookie dough off the tip of her finger.

Finn watched her do it—a lot more interested than he probably should have been. He cleared his throat as she looked at him, handing him the scooper. He leaned on the counter and took a good size portion, putting it next to some of her scoops.

"Are they alright?" She asked softly. He was a bit confused by her tone. Why did she sound upset? He took another scoop.

"Oh, yeah, they're fine." He reassured her. The way she was looking at the counter really unsettled him. "Kurt's at Blaine's watching a movie and my mom and Burt are looking for new furniture for the living room."

She nodded softly and played with the clip that kept the chocolate chip bag closed while in the drawer. Finn finished up the remaining batter and set it onto the tray. The tray was completely covered with chocolate chip cookie batter. His stomach growled again. God he couldn't wait to eat the hell out of these things.

After he set the tray in the oven and took the oven mitts off, he turned to look at Rachel. She had grown quiet all of a sudden and Finn's eyebrows shifted together in worry and confusion.

"You okay?" He asked softly. She looked up at him and smiled softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Why did she always have to hide how she felt from him? She _wasn't_ fine. She clearly wasn't. And yet she put on a fake smile and ate a few of the chocolate chips and that was that—sadness gone from her eyes and voice.

He just smiled and swallowed, setting the timer on the stove. She could try and hide what was wrong all she wanted. But Finn was _going_ to figure out what was wrong. And he was determined to get her to open up to him before she left today.

O0o0o0o0o

According to the news, the storm booming and blowing outside his house was one of the worst Lima had seen since, like, 2008. He couldn't exactly remember what storm they were talking about but it must have been pretty bad because they were telling people to stay in their homes and away from the windows. He had texted his mom to make sure her and Burt were alright—they were fine, holding out inside the furniture store, waiting for it to calm down. Finn wondered if it would be by tonight, the weathermen were calling for it to continue into tomorrow morning. Though honestly? What the hell did those assclowns know? They were _always_ getting shit wrong.

Rachel came in from the kitchen and sat down next to him on the couch. She brought her legs up and shifted her knees to rest against her chest.

"Cookies are done. I turned the oven off and set the cookies on the counter to cool."

Finn nodded. "Did you call your dads?"

She nodded back at him, pulling the sleeves of his oversized sweatshirt over her hands. "Yep, they're both fine." She looked at the TV screen and bit her lower lip. "Sam texted me to make sure I was alright and everything."

_Did she tell him where she was? Whose house she was safe at? She probably hasn't—seeing as how I can't even _handle_ how Quinn would react if she knew Rachel was here. _He could totally see Sam braving the rain and bad weather just to get Rachel out of his house.

"Is Quinn okay?"

Whoops. He knew he should have been doing something instead of just watching the news.

"Yeah, she's fine." He was sure she was because he knew he'd be hearing about it from her if she wasn't. Quinn sure as hell wasn't going out anywhere today…no course not, she left that all up to _him_.

She smiled softly. "Good."

Lightning flashed outside and thunder crackled. Rachel gasped and jumped a little, bumping into him, as the power flickered and then went out. The room plunged into darkness.

He smiled as her hand instantly searched for his, grabbing his forearm before finally finding his hand. He chuckled and put his other hand over both of their hands. "Hey, relax. It's okay. I'm going to go look for candles…I think we have a few either in the basement or kitchen."

"No!" Her hand squeezed Finn's tightly as he started to get up. He turned his head to look at her but it was useless with the lights out and the storm making the sky practically black outside, he couldn't even make out her form. "Could I accompany you?"

"Rach, you remember how uneven my basement steps are? I don't want you to trip."

"I am perfectly able to walk down _steps_, Finn."

Was it odd that he was fond of her stubbornness? He shook her hand a little. "I don't want you to get hurt." She was quiet then and he squeezed her hand. "What, are you scared of the dark or the storm?"

She scoffed. "That is a completely childish notion." Although her answer told him that she _was _actually afraid and just too embarrassed to admit it.

Lightening flashed; lighting up her face for a brief moment—then a thunderous boom shook the house. "You know it's perfectly okay if you are…everyone is afraid of something."

Rachel hesitated. "You don't…think it's rather ridiculous?"

He smiled. "No, not at all."

"You have to understand…" She said quietly, the sound of rain almost drowning her out. "I had a bad experience."

Finn nodded in understanding even though she couldn't see him. He stood and tugged her up, making sure she was close to him as they headed into the kitchen. He knew where everything was even in the dark since it was his house and he had bumped into the kitchen island enough times to make sure he didn't run into that when he searched the drawers for matches and candles. When he finally found the matches and a few candles under the sink, Finn handed a few to Rachel and carried some himself. He bit his lip as he had to let go of her had to juggle the candles and matches in his arms.

"Hold onto the back of my shirt."

He waited until he felt her small hand latch onto the fabric before walking to the living room again. He set the candles down on the coffee table and carefully lit all of them. He scattered the candles around the room to create an eerie but at least semi-bright as Rachel sat down on the couch. He could see her again and smiled a little as she brought her knees back up to her chest, sitting in the same position she was in before the power went out.

Finn made sure all the candles were on something secure and then sat down next to Rachel. He sat a bit closer to her than he had before and her leg softly rested against his right arm. He smiled at her, ruffling her hair.

She smiled and pushed his hand away. "Hey!"

Finn laughed. "There's no one to impress here, Miss Berry."

She bit her lip in the cutest way and flattened down her hair. "Maybe I'm trying to impress you." Rachel winked and he smirked.

Finn couldn't help but feel like that was partly true, even though she was joking and sounded a bit insecure while saying it. And he wanted to tell her that she didn't have to waste her time _trying_…because she impressed him every single day. Whether it was with how smart she was, how determined, passionate, unique…beautiful or talented. She didn't have to _try_ and do anything like that. She had already hooked him; he was already impressed and in love with her in every single way.

"You don't have to try, Rachel." He said seriously and a small smile appeared on her lips.

He could tell she was blushing even in the semi-dark room. Finn knew she thought she did have to try, twice as hard and everything, to just get by because no one thought she was talented enough or pretty enough. He knew she compared herself to Quinn, he heard it more times than he liked when they were dating…and when they were falling apart. She compared herself to Quinn and Santana and…God, it irritated the crap out of him because…didn't she understand that she didn't _compare_ to them. She was so much better than those two; they were the ones that didn't compare to _her_. Not the other way around.

She jumped as thunder roared outside and Finn scooted closer, putting an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her into him a little and she resisted.

"Finn, you don't have to…"

"Shh," He said softly. "Come on, let me do this."

She licked her lips and nodded softly, leaning into his side. "What friends are for right?"

He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, if I can't protect you from lightening and hail, what can I do, right?"

She smiled widely. "You've already done more than enough with this whole…baking idea and offering up your mom to help me with my prom dress."

Finn smiled softly. "You can have my mom whenever you need her. I know you miss yours sometimes."

Rachel shrugged softly; her shoulder grazed his side as she did so. "I miss…the idea of her, you know? I didn't have a mom for such a long time…having one around was such a nice idea. Not that my dads aren't wonderful—"

"No, I know," He assured her. He understood where she was coming from. He missed having a dad figure around too but it wasn't like he thought his mom did a bad job bringing him up by herself.

She smiled and they were silent for a moment, listening to the rain pelt the roof…or maybe that was hail. He looked at the time and wondered if Rachel's dads would want her home at any certain time…or if they'd want her to stay here until the worse of the storm was over.

Before he could ask Rachel said something about the storm. He wasn't sure what though so he leaned his head down a little.

"Sorry?"

"Oh, I was just saying…the bad experience I had, I was eight and the storm outside wasn't as bad as this one but…" She bit her lip. "You're going to think I'm ridiculous."

He smiled softly. "Try me." He squeezed around her shoulders.

She bit her lip. "Do you remember Puck's birthday party? His ninth one?"

Finn squint his eyes like that would try and help him remember or something. He…vaguely remembered something at Puck's house. His mom had made cookie-cake (which was a friggin brilliant invention if you asked him) and he remembered Quinn had on this blue jean dress. Had Rachel been there? He tried to scan his memory, trying to remember a cute little eight-year-old Rachel, with like bows in her hair and probably a checkered dress with a cow on it or something.

He felt really, really bad asking this. "You were there?"

She frowned softly. "I'm not surprised you don't remember…uhm, well the storm was so bad and the lights went out. Puck and a bunch of his shenanigan friends decided it would be funny to try and scare me."

Finn sighed and shook his head, closing his eyes for a brief moment. He hadn't noticed it then…but Rachel had been getting tortured by people he knew and trusted, were friends with, even before high school. He felt a little sick inside. At least he was ninety-eight percent certain that he had nothing to do with what Puck and his other friends had done. He remembered his mom having to pick him up early from Puck's house because he had to wake up early for a doctor's appointment the next morning.

"Quinn took my hand and," Her voice grew so quiet.

Finn opened his eyes to look at her and swallowed. She looked down at her lap. This was obviously an upsetting experience for her…he felt so awful that people put her through this crap. It wasn't fair. What gave Quinn and Puck the right to torture her like that? He suddenly understood why Sam had gotten so angry at him in the parking lot last night.

"She was pretending to be my friend and everything. She said we could go find flashlights. I told her that I was sure Puck's mom could handle it but she tugged me along anyways. So we ended up in the kitchen and…"

Finn rubbed her shoulder softly.

She sighed and shook her head, trying to brush it off with a laugh. "It all seems rather silly now, they just scared me." She tried to pretend like the situation didn't really bother her but he could tell it did. "Puck and his friends just came at me all at once in the dark and scared me…and I think someone spilled pop all over my dress." She frowned and looked up at him. "I really loved that dress. It was white with a cat on it…my dads never got the stain out."

"So ever since then you've been scared of storms?"

She blushed. "Well…kind of. And that movie you made me watch when we had one of our movie nights…?"

Finn bit his lip to hold back laughter. "Which one was that?"

"The scary one, I don't remember it's title!"

Finn laughed. "Rach, it was _just_ a movie. There is no ax-murderer outside ready to get us because all the lights are out from the storm."

"You don't know that!" Her body jerked up as she heard pounding from outside. It was most likely one of the neighbor's garage cans toppling over from the wind.

He held her body so that she didn't get up from the couch. "Actually I _do_. Why would an ax-murderer choose to take out his crazy on Lima…and us for that matter?"

That made her laugh and settle a bit next to him. "I don't know…I think about these things, Finn. Stop laughing at me!"

He put his hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry." A few chuckles still escaped and she shook her head, smiling and embarrassed.

"I never should have told you."

Finn smiled. "No, I'm glad you told me. Lemme just go my battering ram to defend you in case the ax-murderer makes his way into the house…"

She shoved him and he smirked, leaning back up as she pouted. "I'm glad you see my fear of storms comical, Finn Hudson."

"Hey, don't give me that pout. You totally made fun of me when I told you I was afraid of that man dressed up as the Easter Bunny at the mall!"

She smiled slowly. "You were five!"

Finn frowned. "It still creeps me out…like, who decides that they want to dress up as an Easter bunny for a job? Something is just not right there…"

Rachel giggled and shook her head, she rubbed her hands together and turned to look at the candles, flickering shadows along the walls. Finn winced as his stomach growled again, angry at him for not feeding it sooner. He had actually forgotten how hungry he was when hanging out with Rachel.

"We should try some of those cookies." Rachel smiled as she heard Finn's stomach growl.

She stood to go get them and he shook his head. "I'll go."

He stood and took one of the candles from the table and went into the kitchen, grabbing a few napkins and two perfectly sized chocolate chip cookies.

Finn walked back into the living room and sat down next to her again, handing her a cookie with a napkin. He set the candle back down and took a bite out of his cookie. He couldn't help but moan.

"Oh, god. These are so good!"

Rachel grinned, proud. "I'm glad you like them." She took a bite of her own cookie, chocolate smearing on her lower lip.

"You got some chocolate on your lip."

She wiped the wrong side of her mouth and he smirked softly, lifting up his hand and running his thumb over her lower lip. "Right…there." He whispered, picking up the traces of the chocolate.

She swallowed and seemed to freeze in place as he ran his thumb over her lower lip. She suddenly looked uncomfortable and tense, he could feel it as his skin touched hers. He instantly pulled his hand back.

"Sorry." He apologized, looking at his cookie.

She shook her head and leaned back against the couch. "It can't happen again like this, Finn." She told him softly, her tongue running over the place where his thumb just was. "We're both involved and…"

"No you're right. I'm with Quinn and you're with Sam and we're both…happy." He wasn't happy. And he wasn't going to pretend like he actually was. But Rachel _was_, and he could see that. So he wasn't going to fuck that up for her. She didn't deserve to be screwed with. He had done that to her too much in the past.

She nodded softly as she finished her cookie and leaned into his side as lightening flashed outside, illuminating the living room.

"I'm glad we're friends though, Finn. You have no idea how much it means to me."

He figured he had an idea though, because she had no idea how much it meant to him either. "Me too."

He looked out the window as rain hit against the screen. He sighed and shook his head. "Hey, did your dads happen to mention if they wanted you home at any certain time? I know it's like…really bad out and the roads might be flooded but I can try and drive you home if need be."

She shook her head and looked down. "No, uhm…they're not expecting me at home anytime soon. They're not even there."

Finn nodded slowly. "Oh, they out too like my mom and Burt? Buying new table clothes for the dining room?" He joked. "I know the last time I was over they were talking about re-decorating."

She pulled away from him a little and…almost sound annoyed. "No, Finn. And that was a long time ago."

Finn tensed as she pulled away and a sickening feeling filled the pit of his stomach. Had he said something wrong?

"Right…yeah, I know. I was just saying." He looked away and set the remaining napkins on the table. "Because I offered to help paint the dining room that...odd rose color your one dad liked," Which one had that been? Hiram or Leroy? "And if you want to let them know that if they still need a painter, I'm available."

He smiled softly as he remembered how excited Rachel had been the first time he offered that to her dads. She had kissed him and told him she wanted to help too. Which was adorable and hot all at once. All he could think about was Rachel in braided pigtails getting…paint smears on her skin and little jean shorts.

She shook her head and sighed softly. "I don't think that's going to happen."

Okay, now Finn was really getting worried over the sudden mood change. "Why not? I thought we were friends and everything…"

"This isn't about _you_, Finn."

He sighed, frustrated. "Then what is it about! I know your dads didn't like me as much as they probably like Sam—"

"What? That has nothing to do with—"

"And I know I was awkward and all terrified and everything when I first met them. I barely spoke and was jittery and they probably thought I had a mental disability or some odd coffee addiction but I warmed up! Mr. Hiram got to know me and my mom and I know Mr. Leroy probably is _still_ glaring at pictures of me and wanting to lecture me on how to treat you and that's fine, he loves you and wanted me to respect you—"

He was rambling and he was pretty sure he wasn't making sense but…he needed to get this out there. Finn hadn't realized that this had been building up for quite some time; he guessed a little part of it had even been there when they were dating.

"But I still want to help paint that goddamn—"

"Can you do it _without_ the brash language?"

"—dining room! I think I was finally making some headway with them and…everything got screwed up. I don't want to lose that, Rachel." He may not have been close with her parents like Rachel was with his mom but he could tell Hiram and Leroy would be there for Finn if he needed someone…even though Leroy always looked at him like he wanted to deep-fry him alive or something.

Rachel looked at him a long moment before her lip started to wobble, her eyes filling with hot beads of water. She looked down and shook her head.

"F-Finn…"

All he could do was stare at her, his throat closing up at how broken she'd become. Was this all because he was a moron at communicating or something? What he had said was supposed to sound better than it did…

_Fuck_. He sighed. "Rachel, I'm—"

Her voice was choked and pained as she cut him off. "My dad is sick." And by the tone of her voice he knew she wasn't talking about a simple cold.

Finn swore his heart stopped. She had been getting so upset since he kept talking about her fathers he…he thought he was just being too hasty about wanting to become a solid part in her life again. Which is what he had been trying to say to her and it came out all jumbled and rushed and ridiculous sounding. It wasn't really _about_ the friggin paint and the dining room. He wanted to be closer to her fathers and closer to her. Because that's when he had felt like he belonged somewhere. With _her_ at those damn uncomfortable family dinners where Hiram asked him about school and Leroy gave him glaring looks.

But one of them was sick…like, _really_ sick? The past few weeks came swarming back. Rachel was working at Sheets n Things…because she needed the money and that's how Sam knew what was going on…because she told him and he helped her find a job. And that's why he was so protective of her lately; he was a nice guy and didn't want her to suffer any more than she already was. She was emotionally screwed up lately, quiet in glee, wearing sweatpants to school, that's why she was crying to Sam in the locker room and why she needed to go to the hospital…everything fell into place.

Finn didn't know what to say. Because seriously, how was someone supposed to respond in a situation like this? No words fit; nothing described how awful he felt for Rachel and for her dads and nothing said how sorry he was that awful things like this decided to happen to good people who didn't deserve it.

He didn't even have the heart to ask her which one of her dads was ill. He just shook his head and gathered Rachel into his arms, holding her tightly to his chest as the damn broke and her sobs filled the room. He felt her tears soak into his grey t-shirt and her one arm wrap around his stomach. Finn's arms squeezed her small body softly as he rested his nose and lips against her head, breathing in the scent of her warm vanilla shampoo. Her body shook his with the force of her sobs and all he could do was close his eyes and wait until she finished crying.

He remembered her saying this one time…how crying was supposed to be, like, therapeutic or something but he hadn't wanted this from her. He wanted her to open up and let him in but not at the expense of her totally breaking down on him. Finn just felt like he was hurting her more than helping.

He sighed softly and pulled a blanket down from the back of the couch, wrapping it around her body as she continued to cry against him. He started rubbing circles on her upper back, pausing so his fingers pushed a little into her skin.

"Shhh…" He tried.

"Finn." The sobs strangled her pretty voice. It squeezed Finn's heart to hear so much pain in her as she spoke.

"I'm right here," He assured her. "I got you."

She sniffled and managed a small nod into his chest before another sob took her over. He held her even closer if that was possible.

He had wanted this, right? Finn had wanted her to open up to him, to tell him about that something that had been clearly bothering her. He guessed he just hadn't considered how painful that something was.

Finn ran his nose through her hair, his hand stroking up and down her spine. Yeah, he _got_ her and he wasn't letting go until she felt better or stopped crying. He told her and promised himself that he'd be there for her. Finn was determined to help her through this.

O0o0o0o

I hope everyone enjoyed! A lot for one day! Thanks for everyone who reviews and likes the story :)


	8. Chapter 8

So, I am trying to make these chapters a bit shorter. I usually write really long chapters and for this fic I wanted to do shorter ones. But it never seems to work out that way lol I just keep on writing and it gets longer XD hope no one minds :)

Thanks for all the amazing reviews!

Enjoy the chapter :)  
o00o0oo

Chapter 8

Finn wasn't sure how long Rachel had been crying in his arms. The power was out and his cell was in his pocket and—why the hell did he want to _know_? He wasn't timing her like it was a goddamn track meet. It wasn't like he was complaining either. He'd hold her, stroke her hair, whisper tiny comforts as long as she needed—he didn't care how long it took. All he _did_ know was that this was the hardest he'd ever seen or heard her cry, twice as bad as the time with Karofsky in the hallway.

She managed to pull back from him eventually and Finn's eyes took in Rachel's face. Her cheeks were a deep red, her lower lip still wobbling softly, there were makeup streaks running down her face and her eyelashes were wet and a bit clumped together from being against his t-shirt, her eyes watery, sad and red. Her face was a blotched mess and Finn probably had a stain on his shirt from her makeup…but he didn't care and he didn't think it was possible for her to look more beautiful. He cupped her face, running his thumbs over both of her cheeks, removing some of the makeup and tears before handing her a few tissues.

She padded her face with them before sniffling and blowing her nose. He waited patiently for her to compose herself. The thunder and lightning settled down a little outside although rain and what sounded like hail was hitting the house.

"I'm sorry." Rachel apologized weakly. "I didn't mean to…unload so much on you."

Finn just stared at her because…why was she apologizing? He shook his head as she placed the tissues on the table.

"I'm glad you told me." He said softly, seriously.

He was grateful that she decided to let him in. He could feel a shift in their trust. She could have kept him in the dark, kept him wondering why she was acting so weird and why Sam always seemed to be by her side at one point or another.

She sniffled and managed a fraction of a smile. "You could tell something was wrong with me." She swallowed and he watched as her hands nervously played with the blanket.

"Well, yeah, I know you." Her eyes looked up into his…searching for…something. What did she need to hear?

"Well Sheets n Things was the first giveaway. I mean, I never thought you'd work there of all places because—seriously you got all pouty when my mom would send us there for dish towels."

That made her laugh. It was like a break of sunlight in the dark rainy clouds. "Yes, well, towels and bar-soap and categorizing it by color is not exactly my forte."

He smiled. "Or high shelves."

Finn chuckled as she went to smack his chest (he would take all the physical abuse she wanted to give. It was playful, warm and she was laughing. _That_ was all that mattered).

He grabbed her hand and held it before it could collide with his tear streaked shirt. "It was just little things after that. You looked sick but…that wasn't it. It just didn't fit. And I uh," He laughed softly, almost embarrassed. "You were wearing sweatpants."

Her eyebrows rose. "_That_ gave me away?"

He smiled softly. "Like I said, I know you." A soft tint of blush brushed over her cheekbones. "You wear skirts almost every day to school and all of a sudden you're wearing loose sweatpants and a lame excuse of working out with Sam? I knew something was up."

"But I _do_ work out."

"Yeah at home, you have your own treadmill and elliptical. And you're too fond of skirts to not wear them. They're what make you all…Rachel-y."

She smirked. "Rachel-y?"

He blushed and shrugged his one shoulder. "Well, yeah, you know what I mean."

She smiled and he could tell she hadn't meant to make him feel embarrassed. But really? Rachel-y? Whatever, she was smiling and didn't seem to mind his stupidity leak.

"I was…" She licked her lips. "My dad's in the hospital. He's been there for the past week. I stayed with him the whole night sometimes. Sam tried to take me home numerous times." She smiled softly, fondly. "I'm surprised he put up with my stubbornness."

Of course he did. Finn could understand that. If Sam liked Rachel, he would most likely end up liking everything about her. It was kind of hard not to. She was just one of those people that latched onto Finn's heart and stayed there. Maybe that's why he had had so much trouble trying to move on from her and eventually had to give up forgetting her. It was seriously a waste of time. Rachel Berry would always have a place in his heart—she had earned it, and he wasn't going to try and change that for anything…or anyone.

"That's a sign he really likes you." He joked. "If he can put up with your crazy." He affectionately bumped shoulders with her.

How far Finn Hudson had come on the friend path. Usually he'd want to punch something at the mention of Samchel—his jealousy and protectiveness of Rachel got really out of control sometimes. But now he was joking with her, making her blush and smile…basically telling _her_ that he was okay with the idea of her and Sam. He was being a good friend. And it wasn't like it squashed his urge of wanting to be with her or anything like that but…something told him she couldn't take the confusion of his feelings for her. Besides, she seemed happy—as happy as she could be anyways. Finn learned his lesson too many times over.

He had been so selfish—maybe if he hadn't been or had tried (and unfortunately succeeded) to steal Quinn away from Sam because he was lonely, bored, missed his ex-girlfriend _so_ bad that he had a hard time thinking straight let alone do the right thing… He sighed softly. He'd probably be with Rachel again—be there for her when this had started. All they had needed was some time to heal wounds. But instead, Finn chose to steal someone else's girlfriend, hurt his friend and destroy his romantic relationship with Rachel. _God, maybe Quinn is right sometimes. Maybe I _am_ a moron._

"You think so?" She asked him shyly.

"I _know_ so." He stated firmly.

And he did know. If Sam was anything like Finn—and in some ways he was, he knew Sam could see how special Rachel was. How different she was from all the other girls, like Quinn. The major difference in Rachel was that she actually cared about someone other than herself. When Rachel asked him about his opinion, or how he was, or what his mom was up to, or if he was nervous about an upcoming English test, it's because she actually _wanted_ to know, not because she had to ask. He could always tell when Quinn asked him how he was but didn't actually listen to him. Why ask then?

She smiled and nodded softly. "Thanks Finn." She curled hair around her ear. "Anyways, after so many nights of trying to sleep in a hospital chair, it took its toll on me. I just felt tired all the time and…" She shook her head, her smile fading.

"Sad." Finn added, understanding.

She nodded. "I just couldn't bring myself to go through the whole ordeal of everything; the skirts, the blouses, and headbands." Rachel sighed softly. "It was just so much easier to roll out of bed, shower and pull on a track suit. And that way if I stayed at the hospital I would be in something comfortable."

Finn nodded. He didn't want to ask but ... "When did it happen?"

She was quiet and then looked at his face. The rain calmed down and all he could hear was a bit of wind and their breathing. The worse part of the storm was over although the black clouds had stayed behind.

"He's been sick for a month. They told me a few days after Regional's." Finn's throat and mouth went dry. Poor Rachel—Regional's had only been last week. He couldn't even imagine being so happy about winning and then having the whole world crash around her in a matter of a few days.

"That's why they weren't there to see me perform. My daddy had been getting worse by then," Her voice got heavier with emotion.

_Daddy_…Finn tried to think back to when they were dating. Rachel specifically kept her dads, like, separate. One was daddy and the other was just simply dad…although sometimes she called both of them dad and it confused the hell out of him. But only _one_ of them was daddy to her…now which one was it? He was 98 percent sure it was Mr. Hiram that was daddy and the sick parent. He felt…rude asking her to explain though, so he didn't.

"He had been at the hospital with my daddy getting tests done. I thought…all that time before they told me, I thought it was just work related stuff. The fatigue, the colds and sore throats, I thought it was all from stress, you know?"

Finn's face twisted in sympathy. She sighed shakily, obviously trying to keep tears from spilling again.

"I'm sorry."

She tried smiling at him and he squeezed her hand for the effort. "It's not your fault, Finn."

He really hated it when people said that because, yeah, it wasn't his fault but that didn't make him feel any less sorry.

"I just wish they would have told me sooner."

"They were probably just trying to protect you." His mom would do the exact same thing. Although, trying to hide something from someone to protect them wasn't always the best idea. Finn had learned that the hard way when he had tried to protect Rachel from finding out about sex with Santana.

She sighed and her breathing kept wavering with unshed tears. He knew she wanted to cry again but was trying to talk to him, wanting to stay strong (like the Rachel Berry he knew and loved). But she didn't have to be so strong all the time—she earned the right to break down when she needed to. He wasn't going to judge her.

"By lying to me?" Her lip wobbled and Finn turned his head a little as a hot tear slid down her cheek. His thumb and forefinger gently tilted her chin before his thumb brushed the tear away.

She let out a sigh and Finn's arm pulled her into him again until she relaxed against his chest.

"My dads and I made this pact together when I was six after I tried blaming our cat for spilling pink glitter all on the dining room floor."

He wanted to laugh, kiss and squeeze her into him all at once—because the image of a six year old Rachel Berry in a checkered jumper, head to toe in pink glitter pointing at her cat was seriously the cutest image he had ever had in his mind.

"We promised we'd always be honest with one another, no matter what. When my dad told me not to worry, that it was just the lumps in their mattress keeping him up at night or the stress from work making him sick…I just believed him."

Finn ran his hand up and down Rachel's back. "He's going to be okay, Rachel." Could he _really_ say that? He didn't even know what her dad had but she was fucking breaking his heart and he just needed her to feel better somehow.

"I'm usually very confident when it comes to my family, Finn. My dads are the strongest people I know…"

"It's definitely where you get it from." He added softly and he could feel her lips twitch into the faintest of smiles against his chest.

"But with this…I'm not sure. Everything is up in the air and I'm just scared."

Finn's one hand came to rest on her head, gently cradling it against him. His thumb ran over her brown hair.

"Cancer is _very_ unpredictable…it kind of makes it hard for me to be confident."

Finn's thumb froze over her hair, his mouth opening slightly_. Oh my God, cancer?_

"Rachel…" He muttered.

He couldn't even imagine how painful this was for Rachel and her dads. Not only that but he couldn't imagine someone like Rachel's dad getting sick so fast. He had only met Rachel's parents a few times during the summer. Rachel liked coming over his house more than she liked Finn stopping over hers—for some reason she loved to curl up on his bed with him and watch old movies. When he tried to get her to explain that little quirk she had just brushed it off with how it was a girly thing and he wouldn't understand. As they watched _Singing in the Rain_ on his bed…something told him it wasn't so much a girly thing as it was a Rachel Berry thing. He had decided that he didn't need an explanation—because sometimes she'd fall asleep on his pillows and for _days_ his sheets would smell like her. Vanilla, coconut and sometimes raspberries. He didn't understand how she could smell like that all at once and not end up smelling like a weird fruit basket that they had at the mall.

"They're an _amazing_ influence," She had once told him, eating cherry pie that his mom had baked for dessert one summer day in June. "Being two gay dads and all—they really portray an important ideal for life."

He had just nodded—Rachel was using big words and his attention had fallen on a red, cherry mark on her upper lip.

"To be happy and to be with someone who makes you happy, no matter what other people say." She had taken another bite of pie, managing to get even _more_ cherry smudges on her lip. "And their relationship is…kind of perfect in my opinion." Her voice had gotten softer as she spoke. Finn had lifted his head up to look at her, her bangs getting into her eyes a little.

"You know, it's give and take, they hardly fight, and…even after so many years of being together it's clear that they're still so much in love. They bake together and hold hands and give each other kisses when they think I'm not paying attention."

When Rachel had looked up at him, he smiled softly. He had kissed her and then placed a soft, warm kiss on her nose.

"I love you."

And he intended that love to be just as long lasting and special and pure—just like she viewed her parent's love. He then had tried to kiss all the cherry smudges off the side of her lips—making her giggle and try to push him away.

The memory faded and he moved his lips down to gently kiss her hair. He _still_ felt that way about her. Love like that didn't just go away because he wanted it to—no matter who he or Rachel was dating.

Other than re-runs of _Grey's Anatomy_ (and it was hard for him to pay attention to the confusing storyline when Katherine Heigl looked so hot in scrubs), his Aunt Cindy and now Rachel's dad he hadn't really had any encounters with cancer. His aunt had died when he was seven—he hadn't known her very well but he knew what she had died of, his mom had told him on the drive to her funeral. Brain cancer. He had to look up to really understand why his aunt had gotten sick and died so quickly. She was sick and gone before the treatment could even start helping.

"Stage three throat cancer." Her hand went to her throat automatically, gently stroking the tan skin with nervous fingers. "The doctors said they might have _just_ caught it early enough but…he's not out of the woods."

Finn wasn't sure what the wilderness had to do with all this but he wasn't going to let his confusion make this situation even worse than it already was.

"I don't even understand how…" She shook her head. "My dads don't smoke and the doctor said that's one of the key factors in getting this cancer."

It just proved how unfair cancer was; how brutal and…relentless. Sometimes it didn't need a reason or a certain factor to grow in someone's body.

"So how did Sam find out?" He asked softly, his voice cracking just a little. He didn't know how to respond to what she just said…other than saying how unfair everything was (and he got the feeling she already knew that). He cleared his throat. "Did you tell him?"

She sniffled. "No," He wasn't sure if she was aware that she was slowly and very softly rubbing her face against his chest—just every so often but…Finn wasn't going to deny how nice it felt.

"I was at school and he was walking me to my car, Karofsky pulled up beside us and slushied us both." She shook her head and Finn tried not to clench his fists, one was tangled in Rachel's hair and the other was holding her hand…yeah that so would have not been a good thing.

"Sam took me home to clean me up and asked where my dad's were and I just cracked."

Finn could see it—Sam having Rachel sit in one of her kitchen chairs, wetting a washcloth in the sink and trying to get the frozen bits of grape off her perfect nose and once shiny hair, running the warm cloth over her cheekbones and lips, wanting to get rid of the stickiness. Then all of a sudden Rachel's strong face cracks and at first Sam thinks it's because of Karofsky and then he realizes it's something deeper—more painful. He could see Sam gather Rachel into his arms and hold her in her kitchen—moments of Finn and her and summer kisses and playfulness dissolved in an instant, replaced with Sam trying to take Rachel's pain away.

Sam had obviously stuck close to Rachel after that, looking out for her, defending her, driving her home and to school or the hospital, getting her a job and just being a good friend. Their relationship had bloomed into something more …much to Finn's dismay. But then again Finn couldn't really blame that on anybody. Sam had been there for her when she had needed someone the most—and Rachel was worried that it might have happened all too fast but…if it was meant to work out, it would. No matter how much Finn didn't want it to. Sam was a nice guy and Rachel deserved someone like him. But Finn was selfish; there was no point in denying that it. He was selfishly in love with Rachel Berry—and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get that feeling to go away.

Finn couldn't help the glassy coat of tears that covered his eyes as Rachel's breathing grew heavier and choppy against his chest. Sobs erupted against him again, shaking him to his core. Waves of emotion slammed into him like a football tackle as he pictured Rachel hugging her dad in a hospital bed, having to say goodbye. He tried not to but…he ended up seeing his mom in the same position and for a second he could understand exactly how Rachel felt: the pain, fear and numbing sadness that came from the thought of losing a parent.

He felt _so_ bad for her; she was so upset, scared and broken. He couldn't stand to see her in so much pain—he'd never felt so helpless. He wanted to help but had no idea how. He just held her closer, trying to rock her until she calmed.

He shook his head, blinking the wetness out of his eyes. "It's going to be okay Rachel." He promised. "Your dad is a strong guy—he'll make it through, okay?"

She barely nodded against his chest and he felt her cling to him like…that time he had spotted a mouse in her kitchen. She loved hamsters and everything but she had jumped into his arms so fast that he barely had time to react and catch her…he couldn't even imagine the Rachel Berry wrath that would have been released on him if he had dropped her.

He wasn't sure if it was from the crying, the restless nights in the hospital room, her fight with Sam, her long walk to his house or maybe a combination of all of them but slowly Rachel's eyes started to droop and exhaustion took her over. Finn watched as her chest rose and slowly fell, almost right in time with his own breathing—like they were connected from being so close or something.

He let her sleep against him a bit longer than necessary before moving her into a more comfortable position on the couch.

0o0o0o0

Kurt's party obviously had to be postponed. First of all, all this cooking baking with Rachel had him seriously confused. He had, for some reason, talked to her like the party was on Sunday…because he had had her coming over here _today_ to make cookies for _tomorrow_. Which didn't make a hint of sense because he had planned the party for today at one. Anyways, with this storm kicking the crap out of Lima…he couldn't make people leave their houses to come over anyways. He took a look outside before texting everyone.

Tree branches, large and small, littered the streets. Some garbage cans were completely turned over, spilling its contents onto sidewalks. Some mailboxes were actually uprooted and either on their sides on the pavement or oddly crooked. Water from the heavy rain rushed down the streets, searching for a gutter to flow into. The clouds were still black and angry looking. He sighed and sent a group text to everyone except Kurt and Rachel that said the surprise party was going to be moved to tomorrow, Sunday at two PM. It was just as well, Rachel had obviously confused the date because Finn had also, because she was going to make Kurt's cookies either tonight or tomorrow morning…which wouldn't have obviously worked if the party had been at one (as in the party would have happened already). Finn sighed. It wasn't like he could blame anyone for the confusion; Rachel had had a lot on her plate (to say the least). A few people had texted him, his phone vibrating like crazy in his hand. Before he could look at them the power came back on.

Finn scrambled to get the remote as the TV clicked on, projecting the news again—talking about the storm and upcoming weather reports. He glanced at Rachel to make sure the sounds hadn't woken her; he knew she could be a pretty light sleeper. She just shifted onto another side and let out a soft sigh. He smiled at her pretty tinted pink cheeks and the little marks from the couch that had imprinted on her left cheek bone. Finn smirked and pulled the blanket up a little more to cover her body.

He stood up from the couch and blew out all the candles, making his way into his kitchen to check his phone and maybe…he glanced over the perfectly made and stacked chocolate chip cookies…have another cookie or two.

He grabbed one and took a large bite as he looked at his text messages. There was one from Puck, Artie and Blaine, saying that they'd be there tomorrow for the party. His mom had texted him that they had just left the store (cept that text was from an hour ago) another text told him that they'd be home as soon as they could. There were broken trees and a bunch of other things that was putting this small town into major traffic.

There were a few texts from Quinn, asking him if he was alright. He sighed as guilt over took him, maybe he should have been a little more worried about his girlfriend in this violent storm. He hit a button on his phone and listened as it automatically dialed Quinn's number. It rang once, twice, and a third time against his ear. He was going to hang up and try again later but she finally picked up.

"Finn!"

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. A small tree was blown down in our backyard but…I'm fine."

He nodded and shifted on his feet. "Good, I'm glad you're okay."

"I've decided that you don't have to go to get the flowers." Wow, how _nice_ of her. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "We can get them tomorrow after Kurt's party. What time do you want me over to help decorate?"

Shit. Hadn't he kind of already invited Rachel to help him with that? How the hell could he get around this? Or maybe there was no way to. If he said he didn't need Quinn's help and she found out he had _Rachel_ help him instead, she'd probably murder him or be extremely rude to Rachel and he was _not_ in the mood for that. But if he said yes, he'd have both Rachel and Quinn's help and that'd be great for decoration hanging—really bad for him. Any call for an extra clingy Quinn was a bad idea. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Finn?" Impatient and irritated.

"Sorry, one second. I'm trying to figure out how much time would be enough to get all the decorations hung."

Telling Rachel she couldn't come over and help was just _not_ happening. She needed some good distractions and he wanted to spend more time with her (on a friend level of course…) and he wasn't about to tell her no and hurt her because Quinn was going to have a fit over all this. Rachel was his friend. So…

"The party is at two so, how about one? Rachel will be here at noon so…"

"_What_? Why the hell is that midget going to be there? And an hour before me!"

Finn clenched his teeth. "Don't call her that, Quinn."

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me! How many times are we going to have this fight, Finn? _I'm_ your girlfriend, Rachel is your ex. It's one thing for her to even come to this party—"

What? That made no fucking sense. Finn shook his head, anger tinting his cheeks. "Kurt and Rachel are friends, Quinn. Of course she's coming to the party…"

She spoke right over him. "—let alone come there two hours early to flirt with you while she stands on a chair in a short skirt to hang decorations!" Her voice was shrill, it made his ears hurt.

He closed his eyes. "We're dating, remember? And Sam is dating Rachel, so there's no reason to—"

She scoffed. "And _that_ is a joke within itself. Poor Sam. He must really be sad and lonely to resort to manhands as a girlfriend. I hope he enjoys slushie facials because that's all he's ever going to get from dating a loser like her."

It was like striking a match in Finn's chest. "Rachel is not a loser." He said angrily.

He was fed up with this. It had been bad enough before he knew what was wrong with Rachel but now…now he just wasn't going to sit around and let people just _say_ these awful things about her. Sam was right. What made people like Quinn so much better than everyone else that she thought she could just step all over Rachel and it be okay?

"Stop calling her that. She's a great girl and, you know, I remember how nice she was to you when you were pregnant and needed a friend so why are you all of a sudden making it your vodation to make her miserable?"

"Its vo_cation_, you idiot."

Finn blushed and looked at the kitchen floor. He knew what he was trying to say; sometimes he got a little tongue tied when he was angry. Now of course he just made himself look stupid, again. And Quinn being the _great_ girlfriend she was, made sure to point that out to him.

"And why?" She laughed, it was cold and sour. "Don't pretend like you don't see what's going on, Finn. She's _trying_ to take you away from me!"

All she sounded like was jealous and shallow…even though there _was_ a bit of truth to what she was saying. He knew it wasn't like that anymore, that it was something deeper and more painful than a stupid plan to just get him back. But he couldn't…deny that he hadn't learned to fall in love with her again. The way her bangs curled into her eyes and she always had to brush them aside, her smile, laugh, and countless freckles on her nose. The way she _never_ got frustrated with him or how she never called him stupid. He never realized she hummed Disney songs sometimes when she was thinking or how her nose crinkled up when she encountered something 'distasteful'. She talked to him about everything: how nervous she was for prom (not because she might not get voted prom queen but because she didn't want to have two left feet while dancing with Sam), how she didn't know whether to make chocolate chip cookies or snicker doodles for Kurt's party (he voted snicker doodles) and most importantly he had been there for her when she had let down all her walls (letting herself crumble into a mess of sobs and scared unanswered questions of the future).

He had taken advantage of so much when he had been with her—he had forgotten what it had really felt like to be around her. It was like he was…really seeing her for the first time or something.

"Look, Quinn. That's _not_ what's going on, okay?"

"Then what _is_ going on, Finn!"

He sighed. It wasn't like he could actually tell Quinn what was going on. It was none of her business and it was Rachel's story to tell. She obviously didn't want a lot of people to know. And Quinn…she just wouldn't _get_ it. She wouldn't understand why Finn would need to help Rachel with all this. He could hear her angry question in his head… _"Isn't that her boyfriend's problem? To be there for her or whatever?" _She just wouldn't get it and he couldn't explain it in a way she'd understand. He shouldn't of need a reason to be friends with her—to want to help her but…Finn just knew that if the situation was reversed Rachel would be there for him no matter what and he guessed that was all the reason he needed.

He tried seeing it from Quinn's point of view, he really did. He tried to be an understanding and caring boyfriend but—he lost all respect for her and her opinion when she talked about Rachel like that._ I mean, why does she have to do that? _

"What's going on is that Rachel and I are _friends_, Quinn. If you…care about me or my feelings you'll just accept that."

She was so fucking pissed he could feel it through the phone. But Finn couldn't even bother to care because he finally managed to stick up for himself, to defend something he cared about. And Quinn couldn't really do anything about it. If she wanted to go to prom with him she was going to _stop_ smack-talking Rachel just…enough was enough. He was tired of hearing it and Rachel didn't deserve it, especially now with what was going on with her dad.

"Quinn?"

He was greeted with a dial tone. He sighed and hung up. Typical Quinn. When she didn't have a comeback or she was too pissed to even speak to him she tried the cold shoulder. Which was fine with him. The less she spoke the less likely it was for him to get in an argument with her. Yelling gave him a headache. He sighed and pressed a button on his phone, setting it on the counter. He never fought with Rachel as much as he fought with Quinn. They just clashed over anything anymore.

"Finn?"

Finn turned around to see a groggy looking Rachel making her way into the kitchen. She covered her mouth as a huge yawn escaped her lips and he smiled softly as her eyes crinkled up, trying to get used to the lights in the kitchen.

"Hey." He said softly, coming up to her.

"Everything okay?" She rubbed her eyes a moment. "You sounded upset."

He scoffed softly. When _didn't_ he sound upset when talking to Quinn? "Yeah, I uh…it was nothing. Can you come over around noon tomorrow for decorations?"

He could see her smile softly even though her hands were still over her face. "Yes, of course!" He smiled. He was glad she sounded excited. "Is that...does Quinn not want me to come early?"

Her eyes slowly adjusted and looked up into his brown eyes. Finn swallowed and shrugged his one shoulder. "It doesn't matter what she wants. You're my friend and I'm not going to un-invite you just because she might have a temper tantrum."

"Finn…"

"I mean it, Rachel. She's not going to control who I'm friends with."

She smiled softly, touched. It was infectious, Finn smiled too. "Okay, Finn. I'll be here promptly at noon."

"Glad to hear it." He shifted and leaned against the kitchen counter. "I didn't wake you did I?"

She shook her head. "No, Sam called, wondering if I needed a ride back home."

Finn swallowed. "Oh, you uh…told him you were here?"

She nodded softly and fiddled with the bottom of her sleeve.

"Is he going to come over and try to…hit me or something because—?"

A small laugh interrupted him and he watched Rachel smile as she ran a hand through her hair. That relaxed him a little.

"No, Sam's not coming over to fight you. He was just worried and making sure I was okay after the storm and everything."

He nodded softly. "So did you tell him I…"

"Know about my dad?" She finished softly. "No, I want to tell him in person." She shifted nervously. "Look, Finn, I kind of just want this to…stay between the three of us."

Finn was nervous. Triangles were never a good thing, romantic ones or otherwise. They were pointy and…had sharp edges. Triangles always seemed to hurt people. He rubbed the back of his neck. But he couldn't let Rachel down on this, she trusted him.

"I won't tell anyone," He replied quickly. "I promise."

He understood why she didn't want this getting out…not yet anyways. Kids at school were cruel and he could see the stuff they could come up with to insult Rachel and her sick dad. His fists clenched at the thought. He wasn't going to tell anyone, even Quinn…no, _especially_ Quinn.

Rachel stepped closer to him and leaned up to wrap her arms around his neck. He smiled softly and bent down to hug her around her waist. He could feel her face press into her shoulder, a broken yet grateful "thank you" murmured against his t-shirt.

Finn held onto her shoulders as she pulled back. "No problem."

She smiled and bit her lip, blushing. She ran her hands over her face as he moved his hands.

"You hungry? I think we have frozen pizza."

She nodded and touched her stomach as it grumbled. "Yeah, starving."

Finn smiled and went over to the fridge to check the freezer for the pizza. He heard her leave the room and go down the hall to the…bathroom? He sighed as he took out a cheese pizza and they pepperoni too. Finn knew Rachel was a…vegetarian? Or was it vegan? He winced; he should have known which one it was. Would she even eat these?

He put the pizzas on the counter and preheated the oven. He walked down the hall to see the bathroom door was open. Rachel was running the water, washcloth in hand, waiting for the stream to heat up. He leaned against the doorframe.

"I uh, forgot you're a vegi-vegan." Hell _yeah_ he just blended those words. He smiled as she giggled. "Will you eat pizza?"

She looked at him as she wet the washcloth. "Can I tell you another secret? I uhm, kind of strayed from being a…vegi-vegan." He wasn't aware that he could love her _more_ but when she used his made up word he was pretty sure he did.

"I went over to Sam's house and his grandma made homemade pizza, I didn't want to be rude so I had some. Don't get me wrong, I will _never_ support the animal cruelty that goes on sometimes to acquire food but…I eat pizza and chicken every now and then. Most of the time because I'm a guest in someone else's house."

Finn smiled softly and crossed his arms over his chest. "So cheese or pepperoni?"

"Cheese please."

She looked at her face in the mirror, tear tracks of mascara and eyeliner on her cheeks, eyes kinda sad and tired, her hair was waved in every direction, her nose was slightly pink and her lower lip was red from nervous biting.

She laughed but she was ashamed, he could tell. "I'm a mess." She said softly, wiping her cheek with the warm cloth.

He came into the bathroom and turned the water off, taking the cloth from her hand. He turned her body to face him before running the washcloth over her other cheek.

"You're beautiful." He said softly, confident because she was.

And there was no point in denying that. The way she looked up at him though, the intense sense of love and admiration…and something else deep within those soft brown eyes made him shift uncomfortably. Her feelings were just so pure and obvious and unending he just—wanted to show her his were the same _so_ badly. But he couldn't.

Finn chuckled softly. "I…I'm sure Sam tells you that all the time." He handed her the washcloth and she looked so disappointed…let down. He wished he hadn't said that.

"Yeah, but…it means a lot to me to hear you say it." She looked up at him and his eyes connected with hers.

What she had said touched him so deep—lit up a special part of his heart that was just meant for her, a piece she'd always had.

He smiled softly, affectionately. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. He wanted to tell her that he'd always say it—especially when she needed to hear it. Because there shouldn't have been a doubt in her mind. And he _would_ have told her everything he was thinking, feeling except—

"Finn? Honey?" He heard his mom's voice echo through the house as she came through the front door.

He swallowed as he avoided Rachel's eyes and backed up into the hallway. "Down here, mom." He smiled at her as she rushed down the hall to hug him.

"I was so worried, that storm was awful!"

He squeezed her and then pulled back. "Yeah, don't worry. We're fine."

Rachel came out of the bathroom and smiled nervously at his mom. "H-hello Mrs. Hudson."

"Rachel, dear, how many times am I going to tell you to call me Carol?" She asked with a smile, pulling Rachel into a hug. He smiled widely as Rachel visibly relaxed into his mom's embrace. As she pulled back his mom squeezed her shoulders and smiled.

"Where's Burt, mom?"

His mom didn't let go of Rachel's shoulders as she turned to answer him. "He's picking Kurt up." She turned back to Rachel. "Are you staying for dinner? I'm making lasagna."

Finn's stomach was so freaking excited.

"Oh…I..." She looked at Finn like she wasn't sure if she should stay.

His mom spoke before he could reassure her. "I insist, haven't had you over here in too long." Rachel smiled widely as his mom put her arm around her and lead her to the kitchen. "So what colors were you thinking of for your prom dress, dear?"

"Well, I like pink…or maybe something gold?"

Finn smirked softly and followed them down the hall. "Hey mom, Rachel made _cookies_."

He couldn't wipe the smile off his face at the excited noise his mom made. Apparently she was thrilled Rachel had made (with his help of course) her favorite cookies.

Rachel was giggling and animatedly talking with his mom over her ideas for her prom dress. His mom was smiling at her enthusiasm and was obviously thrilled about getting to work on her dress. They fell into a simple pattern; it was just like old friends meeting up over coffee or something.

It was just as old times. And this, Finn decided, was a good sign. He watched Rachel smile brightly at his mom and offer to help her set the table.

_If Rachel and my mom can pick up where they left off and be just like it was… _maybe there was some hope for him and Rachel to do the same thing.

Oo0o0o0o

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter :) Just a little note, my grandfather died of stage 4 throat cancer so I know a little bit about how it works (this doesn't mean I'm going to have Rachel's dad die) but there will be some tough times coming up…perfect opportunity for Finn to step in as a friend. And maybe for something deeper to bloom between them. Who knows!

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing! :)


	9. Chapter 9

Hello everyone! Here's chapter 9 :) I hope everyone enjoys!

Thank you so much for the reviews, alerts, favorite story and author updates! I can't believe I have a little over 100 reviews for this story.

I can't thank you guys enough!

0o0o0o0o

Chapter 9

Rachel took her final bite of lasagna and gently pushed her plate away. She patted her full belly and smiled widely at his mom. Finn was impressed. For someone so tiny she could really pack food.

"That was delicious Mrs.—Carol." Rachel corrected herself. Finn smiled softly at the blush working its way over her cheeks.

"I'm glad you liked it, Rachel. And those cookies you made were amazing."

"I helped." Finn pouted and Rachel giggled.

"Yeah, by packing brown sugar and eating the chocolate chips." She teased.

Finn threw his napkin at her. "Without me Miss Berry you wouldn't have had a cookie sheet!"

"Thank goodness you know where your mom hides cooking supplies from you!"

Both Rachel and his mom laughed. "I'll have to find a new hiding spot."

Finn just smiled and shook his head. "I used the one you keep out for everything mom," He told her as she stood, collecting dishes. "Don't let Rachel fool you and try to throw me under the boat."

"Bus, Finn." Rachel smiled at him as she took a sip of juice from her cup.

Finn, in the most adult way he could manage, stuck his tongue out at her which caused her to throw his napkin back at him.

Rachel went to stand and help his mom with the dishes. She grabbed a few plates before Carol realized what she was doing as she came back into the dining room.

"Rachel, you're a guest. Sit, Finn can get those."

Finn stood and nodded, coming over to her side of the table to take the dishes from her. His hands ran over hers as he tried to gently pull the dirty dishes from her soft grasp.

"But I always help with the clean up."

Finn chuckled at her disappointed face. "You can help me wash, deal?"

She smiled and seemed satisfied with that.

"So mom, I thought Burt was bringing Kurt home…" Finn looked at his mom as Rachel went into the kitchen, starting the water in the sink.

"He was but then he called and said Kurt got called to an 'emergency sleepover with Mercedes' not a minute after pulling out of Blaine's driveway."

Finn carried the last of the dishes and set them on the counter. Rachel had filled up the right side of the sink with water and dish soap, the suds stuck to her wrists as she plunged the sponge into the water.

"Busy boy that one." Carol mused and Rachel shared a small smile with him, "It's just as well, Burt can go out and get him his birthday cake for the party tomorrow."

Carol turned to look at him and he took his eyes off Rachel's hands, which were scrubbing away at a plate.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay having people over without us here?"

Finn resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, mom. Everything will be fine."

"I can cancel—"

"You can't cancel this spa thing with Burt again! It's part of your honeymoon that you never got to take. If you move the date again Burt will strangle you."

His mom chuckled fondly. "Well…I suppose you're right. Just behave. No drinking," Puck was bringing beer and wine coolers and there was no stopping that…but he could be the sober designated driver like he was at Rachel's party. "And no opposite sex sleepovers! And yes, I _do_ mean Quinn Fabray."

Finn swallowed thickly. "Mom."

He felt Rachel tense beside him and hesitate with a plate. She shook her head softly and continued scrubbing the plate, rather roughly this time, trying to get a stain off.

"Nothing like that will be going on, I uhm, I promise. It's just the glee club having a surprise party for Kurt. No one will be even here past four."

She nodded and glanced at Rachel and then looked for containers to pack the leftover food in. Finn turned and bumped a shoulder playfully with Rachel. She looked up at him as she dunked the a few dishes into the sudsy water. Finn smiled at her as she softly bit her lip. She turned her attention back to the dishes and gave them a look of pure concentration. He chuckled. He would have told her she didn't have to concentrate so hard…it was just dishes, not brain surgery but she looked so adorable doing it. He wasn't going to be the one to tell her to stop.

"So if people might leave by four what time are they getting here, Finn?"

Finn barely heard his mom's question. He smiled goofily as Rachel stopped biting her lip and smiled at him, handing him a plate to rinse.

"Adorable…" He thought—or wait. He had _meant_ to think that…had he—?

"I wasn't aware that that was a time on the clock, sweetheart."

He blushed harder than he ever thought possible and tried to avoid Rachel's eyes and her goddamn smile that said she was embarrassed, amused and appreciative all at once at the not so private compliment.

"Is that time between three and four or one and two?" His mom asked innocently (as in, not so innocently at _all_) making Rachel let out a small laugh. Since _when_ had his mom gotten so sarcastic?

"It's at two, mom." Finn mumbled, rinsing the few dishes that had sent him into a blushing frenzy…okay, maybe it wasn't exactly the dish's fault but it was a lot easier to blame a dish than Rachel.

Rachel handed him a few glasses and Finn cleared his throat, rinsing them until they were free of bubbles.

"Rachel is coming over at noon to help decorate." And Quinn was coming at one. He decided to purposely leave that part out.

"Oh, that's very nice of you Rachel."

Rachel smiled at his mom over her shoulder. "It's no trouble, really."

She looked back at Finn and leaned a bit closer than he liked (as in, he liked it _a lot_ and if she kept getting closer to him like that he'd have no choice but to push her against the counter and kiss her. His mom filing leftover containers be damned).

"I'm actually quite good at decorating; I have a knack for filling a room and making the decorations work for the space provided."

"You mean you can hang something without the help of a forklift?"

"Finn!"

He chuckled as she flicked soapy water at his chest. "Hey!"

"I'm not short…I'm petite." Rachel emphasized with a smile and more water aimed at his chest and shoulders.

"You tell him, honey." His mom said absentmindedly, pouring a bowl of leftover beans into a container.

He gave his mom a look, "Whose side are you on?"

Before she could answer, Rachel sprayed him with the sink hose. He gasped as cold water covered his chest.

Rachel giggled and bit her lower lip and Carol smirked. "Oh, relax hun and get that shocked look off your face. It's only water, not acid."

Finn closed his mouth and looked at Rachel, who was nonchalantly putting the hose back where it belonged.

"I'm glad you think its funny Rachel because you're about to get real close and personal with the faucet."

He swooped her up in his arms and she squeaked. "Finn! No!"

He chuckled and tried to angle her closer to the sink without dropping her or hitting her head off anything. Instead of trying to run her head under the faucet he managed to tightly hold her against his chest and spray the hose, soaking her hair and his shirt, although he didn't mind much. The squeal that came out of her mouth and the look on her face as the cold water drenched her head was completely worth it.

He let her go after turning the water off and she turned to face him, water droplets falling from the hair that was now pasted to her face. She shook her head like a dog shook its body after a bath and successfully covered his face with beads of water. And by that smile now plastered on her face she was damn happy about it too.

He chuckled softly and ran a gentle hand through her hair, pulling it away from her face. He picked up a small piece that was sticking to her cheek and tucked it behind her ear.

He _never_ did tender stuff like this with Quinn. He had a feeling she didn't really like it or something. With Rachel, he knew she _loved_ it; she was so easy to read. He could always pick up how she felt—the tender smile and small hint of blush gave her away almost every time he did something intimate like this.

Shit. Intimate. He pulled his hand back and cleared his throat. "I should…change my shirt. I'll get you a towel."

"Get her a shirt too. When I measure her she can't be wearing your hoodie."

He didn't wait for Rachel to reply before heading out of the room. He glanced at his mom and nodded at her—wait, was that a smile on her face? Had she been _smiling_ at them this whole time? He couldn't figure out why she was smiling and not giving him a pissed off face over the fact that water was covering the floor in front of the sink.

0o0o0o

It took him forever to find a clean shirt (maybe Rachel was kind of right over his disorganized closet) or maybe he shouldn't have put his dirty laundry bin so close to the entrance of his closet. He was a basketball player (an okay one) but sometimes his shots were off and his tossing of dirty shirts ended up in his closet…and then of course laziness played a key factor in why they never made it downstairs to the washing machine where they belonged.

He sighed and slipped on a clean (least it smelled clean) black t-shirt. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled as his eyes fell on at the petite slip on shoes Rachel had left in his room. They were…clogs? _No, no, that's not it. Opposite of heels…_flats_. Yeah, that was it, flats. _They were blue; he guessed a lighter shade before the downpour of rain darkened the color, there were little (once white, now gray) polka dots covering the fabric. _Polka dots or stars with this girl… _He smiled fondly and pulled his ringing cell phone from his pocket.

Bright capital letters flashed on the screen: QUINN. He sighed, really trying to figure out if he should answer it or not. If she was just calling him to yell about Rachel they were going to get into another argument. He sat on his bed and winced as he answered the phone. _God, I'm going to regret this._

"Hello?"

"Finn…" Okay so she sounded…upset.

"Yeah, babe?"

"Look you can be…friends with that little—"

"_Quinn_." He interrupted.

"Rachel," She corrected. "But I'm _not_ just going to sit around and let her weasel her way into taking you away from me like the last time, Finn." There was anger and determination all through her voice.

He shook his head. Why the hell didn't he expect the conversation to go like this?

"Quinn, let's just…Rachel had nothing to do with why we broke up." Well…that was kind of a lie. He was getting so pissed off with her though that he couldn't turn it off. "You know why we broke up? Because you had sex with _my_ best friend and then tried to push a baby on me, that's why!"

He couldn't understand how he had exactly forgiven her for such a thing in the first place when he still got so upset over it.

"Right, because it wasn't like you didn't want to sleep with _her_ at any point in our relationship. You're not the innocent one here, Finn."

Yeah, he kind of _did_ want to, like, sleep or at least heavily make out with her. Rachel had been talking about girls wanting sex just as much as guys did and…her damn long legs and little skirts. What the hell was his downstairs brain supposed to do? Don't get him wrong…when he first met her he thought she was crazy. Like seriously up the wall, out of a rubber room, crazy. She spoke really fast and she was the most passionate girl he had ever met in such a small town. No one had bigger dreams than her, Finn hadn't even thought about his future much until he met her. So the vibe he had gotten from her was intense to say the least. And unfortunately all he had ever heard about her were rumors, and vicious ones from Quinn and Santana and the rest of the cheerio squad. Was she really a tranny? Did her hands really have a mannish look to them? Did she really deserve all those slushies thrown in her face by Puck? He hadn't really questioned it. He was Finn Hudson: quarterback with a perfect blonde popular girlfriend on his arm. He had been twenty percent certain that he sat next to Rachel in math…or was it English? And she always smiled at him like…like she saw into his soul or something. She had creeped him out to say the least but…then he heard her sing.

He hadn't been lying or trying to get into her pants when he had told her that it had touched something in him. Right to the core of his heart. And that hadn't changed; it _still_ happened every time he heard her sing. He wasn't sure what Quinn was trying to prove by saying all this but all she was doing was making him realize he was doing the wrong thing _again_. When he had gotten back with Quinn the last time, when she asked him if they could be in love again…he wasn't going to deny that it had felt wrong. He just…he couldn't get that passionate brunette with the odd love for show choir out of his head. Not to mention that kiss in the auditorium.

Was that what was happening now? He was back together with Quinn and he like…loved her right? (Or at least…liked her a lot?) And everything felt wrong and everything led to a fight and he couldn't stop thinking about Rachel (even before he realized something was wrong with her).

"Quinn, I'm not doing this. I'm not fighting over Rachel again. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

She wasn't happy about it at all. "So we can fight about it then and probably in front of _her_? No, I'm coming over and we're going to fix this."

His eyebrows rose. If she was pissed now he couldn't imagine what it would be like when he saw Rachel here.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Quinn. I…" Fuck, why couldn't he come up with anything?

"She's _there_, isn't she?"

Finn swallowed and was pretty sure his heart stopped. Why did he feel like he was in one of those horror movies where the crazy girlfriend killed everyone with an ax? Oh, right, he felt like that because he was dating _Quinn_ (seriously, she had to be bipolar or something with all these goddamn mood swings…maybe if she didn't keep her emotions to herself all the time she wouldn't be so angry).

"Yeah…I have a friend over," He gritted his teeth in annoyance. If he had to say friend one more time… "She's going through a really hard time and she needs me, you know?"

Quinn laughed. "Oh, I'm _sure_ she does."

Images of how hard Rachel was crying against him and her broken, scared, voice about her father flashed through his head. Quinn brushing it off like it was nothing, like he was _lying_, like Rachel was just _pretending_ so she could get back together with him pissed him off to the point of kicking a chair over.

He snapped. 'That's it. I'm _done_, Quinn."

She was quiet for a moment and then tried to play it off like he wasn't serious. "Come on, Finn."

But he was. "No, you can insult me all you want. Call me stupid or an idiot but I'm _done_ with you treating Rachel like garbage."

"You can't be serious!" She was starting to cry now and Finn shook his head, determined. Tears were not going to work this time. "What about prom? We're _king_ and queen!"

That's all she cared about? He was breaking up with her and that's all she could say?

"I guess you should have thought about that before."

He hung up the phone before he could change his mind.

0o0o0o

He left his cell phone on his bed and went down the hall to get a towel for Rachel. He checked her clothes that were hanging up in the bathroom to see if they were dry. Typical Rachel; she decided to let her clothes air-dry instead of giving them to him when he offered to put them in the drier. He could hear her give her reasoning on how it was more energy efficient or how she didn't want to bother him with it. He felt the edges of her little blue shirt and it was still damp. He scratched the top of his head, trying to figure out if he should just…let her put it on long enough so his mom could measure her or just try to find a clean shirt of his for her to wear.

He went back to his room and looked in a few of his wooden dresser drawers. He pulled out a gray t-shirt and sniffed it. _Score. Clean shirt! _

His phone was ringing like crazy on his bed and he didn't have to even look at it to know who it was. Quinn: angry, crying, apologizing… He sighed; he just needed some time to think.

Had he actually broken up with Quinn? Maybe he had been a little…brash but she didn't even consider what Rachel was going through before jumping all over him. Rachel would have asked about Quinn, made sure she was okay, asked how she could help—he was tired of Quinn saying all those awful things about Rachel when she was the better person.

He slowly walked downstairs and heard Rachel and his mom in the kitchen.

"Thank you again for letting me stay for dinner, Carol."

Finn stopped on the steps and smiled as Rachel called his mom by her first name. He was glad she was finally relaxing around her a bit.

"It's no problem Rachel really…make sure you take some leftovers."

Finn quietly went down the rest of the steps and peeked into the kitchen. He watched as Rachel smiled widely at his mom.

"I will. I just… I really missed coming over here to spend time…talking about pie ingredients or flipping through cookbooks or college pamphlets…girl stuff. I..." The way she hesitated struck a chord in Finn's heart. "You've been like a mom to me every since Finn and I were together and I'm not quite sure how to thank you."

She laughed, trying to hide how she was tearing up because she was so thankful. He watched his mom go over and hug Rachel, placing a soft motherly kiss on her hairline.

"And now with this whole prom dress thing, I feel like you're my fairy godmother or something."

His mom laughed. "No where near that magical dear, but thanks for the compliment." Rachel giggled and pulled back. "Any time, okay? Especially for the dresses…who knows, maybe we can start a line of petite summer sundresses!"

Finn didn't think it was possible for Rachel to laugh louder but she did and he couldn't help but smile.

His mom _never_ joked with Quinn…it was like she was completely different person around Rachel. Rachel brought out this side in her, (in Finn too) they could just relax, be themselves, joke, laugh, and have a good time. His mom was like a friggin robot with Quinn compared to how she was now.

"When…Finn told me he wanted to be friends I felt like I was getting this second chance."

Finn swallowed as Rachel looked up at his mom and blushed, like couldn't believe she was telling her this. His mom's face was sympathetic and just…open, ready to listen to whatever Rachel was trying to tell her.

Rachel tried to play off what she was saying with a smile but it faltered when she spoke again. "I thought he'd never stop being mad at me…" She admitted softly, looking down at the counter.

Her hair was no longer dripping wet, just damp, and it fell into her face, hiding her from him. Finn understood the bit of pain that he heard in her voice. He had been worried about that too, that the anger or hurt or whatever that he had felt might never completely go away and that a black vortex where his heart should have been could stay like that—cold, dark, empty.

He raked a hand through his hair. He had gotten together with Quinn and convinced himself that he had cared about her and stuff but…could that not have been true? He _swore_ that vortex or whatever hadn't disappeared until recently, until he felt Rachel cry in his arms, hands fisting in his shirt and brokenly saying his name, wanting him to somehow make it better.

Yeah, he was pretty sure his "love" for Quinn Fabray had been a crock of shit, a desperate attempt at feeling something since his ex-girlfriend. For all Finn knew, Quinn could have called up Leo DiCaprio and incepted his ass. He really felt like those feelings for her had come out of nowhere. The more he heard Rachel talk to his mom in the kitchen, the better he felt about breaking it off with Quinn.

His mom finished packing up the leftovers and labeled a container for Rachel before closing the fridge and taking a seat next to her at the island table.

"I don't think he was mad sweetheart…just hurt."

"I never meant to hurt him." Rachel muttered.

Finn nodded softly, like he was forgiving her all over again. Sure, he had been angry at first and…had maybe taken it out on her a little (a lot more than he probably realized) but his mom was right. When that anger had faded away all that was left was him feeling hurt.

"He's one of the most important people in my life." Rachel whispered, voice catching.

It was soft but her words were ringing in his ears. Love and something deeper erupted in Finn's chest, filling up his entire body with this…warmth. It was like being hugged by the sun or something. She was important to him too, more than he could ever try to explain. She was like his other half. He understood why it had been devastating for both of them to lose the other. It was almost like losing a part of themselves.

Rachel looked up at him as Finn came into the kitchen, an oblivious (looks like Quinn's insults paid off sometimes…he actually knew what that word meant) planted on his face…like he hadn't just been listening to everything Rachel had been saying.

"Sorry, I couldn't find a clean shirt." He smiled softly at Rachel, who had bloodshot eyes and a sniffly nose. It just made him want to kiss her. "Here." He draped the fluffy blue towel around her and gently ran part of the fabric down her freckled nose.

Rachel blushed softly and Finn's mom smiled. "I'll get the sewing kit." She left the room and he heard her go upstairs.

He watched as Rachel bit the edge of her lower lip. "Did you hear all that?" She asked him softly.

"Hear what?" He asked, he wasn't going to embarrass her or admit yet _again_ that he had been eavesdropping. "You trying to embarrass me in front of my mom again?"

She laughed. "You can do that all by _yourself_, Finn Hudson."

He'd usually agree with her but then again that 'adorable as a time on the clock' had been _her_ fault. If she hadn't been…doing that goddamn thing with her lip and looked so determined about cleaning the dishes he wouldn't have been distracted giving his mom a time!

"Is my shirt still damp?" Rachel asked, motioning to the shirt Finn had in his hands.

"Yeah, since you insisted on hanging it instead of giving it to me to put in the dryer…it's still wet."

"I was saving you money on the next electric bill!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, tell my mom that…she'll, like, want to adopt you."

She giggled and took the shirt in his hands and held it up to her nose. He wasn't exactly sure why she kept smelling his clothes but…he figured it was because he smelled nice or she liked the way he smelled (from his soap or cologne or something). Because he'd understand that…he liked the way she smelled too. Like berries or vanilla or a pastry shop.

He shook his head, a smile on his face. "Does the shirt past the smell test?"

"Is this one actually clean or did you just spray a bunch of cologne on it to make it smell as such?"

He stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on the heels of his feet. "You'll never know."

It didn't smell like sweat or the gym locker room so…he was satisfied and 75 percent sure that it was clean or 'lightly worn' at least once before he shoved it back in the dresser drawer.

Finn heard his mom come back downstairs and saw her past the kitchen doorway to head into the living room and set up for measuring Rachel. He looked back at her and she smiled up at him, still holding the shirt to her nose.

He wanted to tell her about Quinn. He wanted to tell her why they broke up (because he was tired of hearing her insult someone he really cared about…not to mention he was still in love with that same girl), he wanted to let her know that he was going to be there for her and be her friend whenever she needed. Finn also wanted to tell her that…he wasn't completely selfless either. He broke up with Quinn because he wanted her and probably always would want her. Only her. And he'd wait for her to break up with Sam. He'd wait as long as it took. Because he wasn't about to go screw that up. Rachel was happy with Sam; he was nice and had floppy hair and carried her books between math and English…and he wasn't about to get in the middle of that. He wasn't going to steal another girl from Sam Evans. Not again, not after the catastrophe that was Fuinn. Not to mention Rachel would be pissed if he tried to steal her away from Sam…and that was no way to gain her affection. So he'd wait for things to play out…wait for someone to break up with someone else.

And it'd happen.

Because Rachel and him were something special _together_ and he knew she understood that, whether she had tried to deny it or not.

Now wasn't the right time to tell her all this. Today wasn't about him, it was about Rachel. And he couldn't exactly…go into everything he was feeling and shit about Quinn when his mom was in the next room waiting for them.

Finn could tell her tomorrow or when they were alone. It wasn't like his feelings were going to change by then or anything.

He could pretty much count on his feelings staying the same and oddly strong for Rachel Berry.

O0o0o0o0

"Just set the stool near the coffee table…no, not on that throw-rug! She'll wobble off the stool, dear. This floor is so uneven."

Finn smirked softly and placed the small stepping stool on the carpeted floor in the living room with his mom's direction. Rachel had to be at least a few heads taller than his mom for her to get her measurements.

"Are you sure we don't have any other stool? It's kind of small…and I know she has small feet and everything but what if she falls? Mom, Mr. and Mr. Berry will _kill_ me."

She chuckled. "I guess you'll just have to hold her up there…"

His mom fumbled with the measuring tape and he knew she was avoiding his eyes. He knew what she was doing and was about to call her out on it but Rachel came into the living room, still wearing his sweatpants but with the shirt he gave her.

She set down the hoodie she had been wearing on the couch and smiled at Finn. "So where do you want me?" She nervously played with the ends of the shirt.

She really shouldn't have been asking him that. He had to bite his tongue on any sarcastic and dirty answers. "On this stool." He motioned to it.

His mom smiled at her. "Just take your socks off so you don't slide on it, you'll be fine."

Rachel smiled. "I'm a dancer so I am perfectly capable of balancing myself."

Finn smirked and watched Rachel walk over and look at the stool. He held his hand out. "Here."

"Very courteous, Finn, thank you." She smiled and took his hand, holding onto it as she stepped on the stool.

The stool shook a little on the carpet as she brought both her feet up and tried to get situated so his mom could measure her. He looked up at her and saw a bit of panic wash over her face as her knees wobbled. Her hand squeezed his tightly because the look on her face said it all; she thought she was going to fall off the stool. It might not have been really high up but she definitely would have hit the coffee table. Finn squeezed her hand and gently tugged her in the other direction while his other hand pressed against her back to firmly assure her that she wasn't going to fall off the stool.

"I got you." He reassured her.

She smiled softly and the faintest of blush brushed over her cheekbones. "Obviously I didn't have to balance on a stool in dance class…"

He chuckled as his mom came over to stand in front of her with the measuring tape. Once he was sure Rachel had gained some balance on the stool he started to pull his hands away. "You good?"

She was nodding but his mom was shaking her head. "Finn you might want to keep holding her hand, hun. When I'm measuring I might bump into her and I don't want her to lose her balance up there."

Finn just stared at his mom as she looped the measuring tape around Rachel's waist. "Uh, right. Yeah." _Great response, Finn_. He took Rachel's hand again and smiled as she squeezed his.

He watched his mom measure basically, like, every part of Rachel. Her waist, her neckline, shoulder length, arm and legs and…even how far her boobs and butt stuck out. Finn honestly tried not to _watch_ so much of that part…oh and to keep his manhood down at a non-mailman level. It was kind of hard though (pun _so_ intended) because he was like…standing there, holding her hand and watching his mom and no one was talking and all he could do was follow the measuring tape wrap around parts of her body. He thought Rachel was getting a bit embarrassed though because she was shifting every so often like she was uncomfortable…or maybe she noticed him staring at her boobs.

Introducing his mom: the conversation life-saver. "So Rachel, who are you going to prom with?"

He looked up at Rachel and saw her smile. Jealousy curled in his belly. "Sam Evans…I don't know if you've had the opportunity to meet him but…"

"He was at the wedding wasn't he, with the rest of the glee club? The blonde boy right, Finn?"

His mom knew exactly who Rachel was talking about but for some reason it was like she had amnesia because she was referring to Sam as 'the blonde boy'.

"…Yeah, that's him." Why was she pretending she didn't know who it was?

"He had picked me up from dance class and when he drove me home and there was these…yellow plastic stars that spelled out 'PROM?' in my front yard."

His mom smiled up at her. "How romantic!"

Finn rolled his eyes. That's why she was pretending…she wanted Rachel to dive into all the cutesy shit Sam was doing for her.

Was his mom trying to kill him? Maybe he was just being ridiculous…he should be happy for Rachel. She sounded so excited and he was her _friend_ after all. Not to mention that he was probably just jealous because he didn't ask Quinn to prom, she asked him…actually, no, she told him (demanded) that they should go to prom together—how romantic.

"How did your dads take that? I bet they're really excited!" Finn glanced up at Rachel as his mom wrote down the measurements in her little sewing notebook. "How are they by the way? I haven't talked to them in too long."

Finn watched as Rachel's face fell. She was trying so hard to just…forget the harsh reality about her dad having cancer, about sleepless nights in hospitals and crying so hard that she thought she'd never stop. He knew she just wanted to go back to the way things were before, when all she had to worry about was nationals or getting a grape slushie stains out of one of her new skirts. It was like a black cloud passing over her face; she was sad again, scared and worried.

He put his hand on her back, running his thumb up and down her spine. He squeezed her hand, trying to give her some confidence.

"My dads have been busy lately. They've uh, they haven't really talked to me about prom. My one dad is really sick." She swallowed and looked at her hands. "He has cancer."

Finn squeezed her hand and felt bad she had to tell someone this twice in one day. He rubbed her back up and down in a soothing motion. His mom's face fell entirely and he could tell that she suddenly understood why she was helping with putting together this prom dress.

Carol took her other hand and squeezed it. "I'm so sorry, hunny. I will pray for both your fathers and for you, okay?"

Rachel smiled softly and nodded. "It is very much appreciated."

"And if there's anything I can do don't hesitate to call me."

"You're already doing more than enough by helping me with this prom dress, Carol. I wouldn't be able to go to prom if it wasn't for you."

She smiled softly. "Well Sam Evans is not going to know what hit him when he sees you in this dress." Rachel giggled softly and blushed at the idea. "Help her down, Finn. I have all the measurements so…I can put together a few rough sketches of what I can make the dress look like. Oh! And we can decide on what shade of pink!"

He watched his mom go into the kitchen and smirked softly, wrapping his hands around Rachel's tiny waist. He lifted her up as she put her hands on his shoulders and put her on the ground.

"You okay?" He asked her and she nodded, even though she didn't look like it.

He hugged her as she tried to smile at him. She didn't have to put on this brave face for him but he figured the smile was because she had done enough crying in his arms. He felt her relax into his embrace and he put the smallest of kisses on her head.

Finn rubbed her shoulders as she pulled back. "I'll be right back, okay? I have to ask my mom something about Kurt and the party tomorrow."

She smiled softly, understanding. "Take as long as you need."

He watched her go sit on the couch, tucking her legs underneath herself and then went into the kitchen where his mom was. She was looking through the drawers (probably for the colored pencils) so she could ask Rachel what color pink she wanted.

"Mom…what were you doing in there?" He asked, soft enough that Rachel wouldn't hear.

She turned to look at him. "I'm not sure what you mean, hun. I was measuring Rachel for her dress…"

"You know what I'm talking about. I'm…I'm with Quinn." Okay, he wasn't. But he really wanted to know what his mom was up to.

She just stared at him. "Thank you for the update, Finn." He sighed, getting frustrated. Before he could just storm out of the room Rachel Berry style his mom asked him, "So when did you learn about Rachel's dad?"

"Earlier today. I… thought, well, I knew something was up with her so I invited her over to bake and to let me be her friend and stuff. She told me and then…started crying." He shook his head and looked up at her.

"She was crying so hard, mom."

He swallowed thickly and wasn't aware that his voice had cracked until that sad look covered his mom's face and she hugged him. He leaned into her and couldn't help the small amount of liquid misting up his eyes. He breathed out and tried not to think of how hard Rachel had been crying…or how much it affected him to see her in so much pain.

When she pulled back, she smiled and cupped his face, running her thumb over his cheek. "I'm so proud of you for being there for her, Finn. She really needs someone right now and I'm glad she has you to depend on."

He smiled softly and nodded. He'd do anything for Rachel…he was pretty sure he didn't need to tell his mom that for her to know it either.

"This is definitely a different tune from the one you were singing a while ago." His mom said, pulling her hand away from his face and continuing her search for the colored pencils.

"What do you mean?"

"I just mean that one minute you were taking a 'Rachel' box to the attic with a scowl on your face and now you want me to make a prom dress for her…what changed between you two?"

Finn checked a drawer. "I don't know…I just missed her I guess. And like I said, I knew something was wrong with her, that something was off and…I had to know, you know? So I could like, help her or something."

"You still like her, don't you?" Since when had his mom become this secret Finchel shipper?

Finn swallowed and for some reason his defense wall went right up. "We're friends." He felt like he was trying to convince himself rather than his mom.

His mom wasn't buying it. "If you like her Finn just…don't give up, okay?"

He loved her. But none of it really _mattered_ because, "She's dating Sam, mom."

She smiled. "Hmm, which won't mean much if she feels the same way about you. Don't give up." Finn bit his lower lip and tried to take in everything she was saying. She switched gears. "Are you happy…with Quinn?"

Maybe he just wanted to be with Quinn because Rachel was with Sam and it hurt less that way. It distracted him or something. "Yeah…" His mom, Rachel and basically the whole friggin universe knew he was lying, grasping at straws.

She nodded slowly. "I guess that's all that matters then."

Rachel came into the kitchen when his mom found the colored pencils. "Sam's here to pick me up. My dads want me home so, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I didn't know until—"

"No problem, Rachel. Finn can show you the sketches tomorrow before the party and you can let me know which one you like. Then we can get this dress on the road!" She smiled and Finn chuckled at her excitement.

"I'll go get your clothes."

Finn ran upstairs and grabbed her damp clothes and her flats. He turned the hall corner and jogged down the stairs in time to see Rachel hug his mom. She then made her way towards the door where Sam was patiently waiting.

He saw Sam smile at her before pulling her into a big hug. She quickly wrapped her arms around him.

"Are you still mad at me?" She asked him softly and Sam smirked and shook his head.

"No, not at all. I'm sorry for being mad in the first place."

She set her chin on his chest as she looked up at him. "Apology accepted." She smiled as he leaned down and kissed her softly.

Finn felt like he was getting hit in the gut with a cinder block. Couldn't they at least wait until _after_ they were off his doorstep before being all sickeningly sweet and cute and Samchely?

He cleared his throat as he approached them and Rachel pulled back, smiling softly at Finn. "Thank you Finn, for…everything." He could tell that she meant a lot more than just the change of clothes. "I'll bring your clothes back tomorrow."

He shook his head. "No, keep them; they're too small for me anyways." He smiled softly and handed her the damp clothes in his hands.

"Thanks for looking after my girlfriend during that storm, Finn. I was…really worried about her."

Finn couldn't help but feel all snippy and poked at as Sam spoke to him. He felt like Sam was making a jab with that whole girlfriend comment and he bit his tongue on saying how she would have never been at his house in the first place if he hadn't gotten into that fight with her.

But Finn was going to be an adult about this. "No problem. I held her hand and stuff when she needed me." He smiled. _Jab on back, Evans._ Alright, so he was sort of an adult…whatever, the look on Sam's face at the idea of hand holding was worth it.

Sam just shook his head and gently took the clothes Rachel had in her hands and started back to the car. Rachel smiled at him as he went and then turned back to look at Finn.

"See you tomorrow Finn, and tell your mom thank you again."

She bit her lip and leaned up on her toes all the way, which wasn't very hard for her from being a ballet dancer and all and…kissed his cheek. Right on his cheekbone. Her lips were warm and soft and he felt her nose gently graze against his skin as she pulled back.

He swallowed thickly as she smiled softly, her eyes smiling with her, her perfect eyelashes brushing right under her eyes as she looked down. Her cheeks tinted a perfect pink and it took everything in him not to pick her up and kiss her.

"Bye Finn."

And just as quick as the kiss had been she was gone. In Sam's car and out of his driveway, on her way home.

He watched the car drive away and shook his head softly and touched his cheek as he went in and closed the door. He leaned against the door a moment before going upstairs to his room.

A kiss could mean a lot of things. It could mean that his mom was right and that…Rachel did have those same feelings for him and that dating Sam didn't really matter because they would work themselves out. They'd be together at one point or another…no matter what mistakes they had made in the past. Or Rachel was just emotional from everything she had went through today and the kiss was a…friend kiss for how much she appreciated him today. He scratched his head. Was there even such a thing as a friend kiss?

He sighed and laid down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He turned over and flipped his radio on and pushed his cell phone to the ground as it continued to buzz from Quinn's persistent messaging.

Fleetwood Mac's _Never Going Back Again_ filled his room. He breathed deeply and picked up hints of Rachel's perfume filling his nose.

_She broke down and let me in_

Rachel had cried so hard in his arms…emptied so much pent up anger, fear and sadness right onto his chest. She had opened herself up to him and told him everything that had been going on with her dad these past few weeks. He was so happy and sad all at once. Sad because she was hurting but…happy because she had finally let him in. The broken pieces between them finally had a chance to heal.

_Made me see where I've been_

He wasn't going to pretend like this whole day hadn't made him put his and Quinn's relationship under a magnifying glass. If Rachel hadn't come over and broken down in his arms he was pretty sure he'd still be with Quinn. Because then he wouldn't have had all those conversations with Quinn about Rachel and Quinn wouldn't of had a fit about her being over his house and he wouldn't have gotten fed up with her bullshit (well, that was a time bomb waiting to happen…it was just a matter of when). He honestly wouldn't have looked at his relationship with Quinn and what had happened with them and who he had been lately if it wouldn't have been for Rachel coming over, soaked the bone and shivering.

_Been down one time  
Been down two times  
I'm never going back again_

And he wasn't. He had had enough trying to fight, deny, hide or change his feelings for Rachel Berry. He wasn't sure what had been going on in his head (past the anger and sadness) that had possessed him to start dating Quinn again but…all he knew was that it wasn't for love. It was for…something else. Something superficial like her love for prom or her dresses or her desire to win prom queen status. All he knew was that he wasn't doing that again. He wasn't going to try to pretend to be someone that he wasn't. He wasn't going to go back to that Finn Hudson: the one who stole girls and just gave a shit about football and popularity.

That wasn't him. He knew that every time he heard Rachel sing. He knew that because he loved Rachel and because they were something special.

Yeah. _I'm never going back again._

O0o0o0o0

I hope everyone enjoyed :) thanks for everyone who reads and reviews!


	10. Chapter 10

I hope the last chapter was okay :) thanks for everyone who sent a review and for who read it. Hope everyone likes it so far!

ONCE AGAIN I wrote too much and had to break this into two chapters. So heres chapter 10 and I'm finishing Chapter 11 and it should be posted in a day or two!

Here is chapter 10! :D

O0o0o0o0o

Chapter 10

Rachel rang his doorbell ten minutes early and Finn couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Of _course_ she was ten minutes early…ten minutes early was on time for her. He had opened the door to a petite brunette, wearing a bright smile on her face and cookies in her hand. He smiled. She looked so much better than yesterday. Her eyes weren't so sad or tired and it seemed her enthusiasm was up a few more notches (he guessed she got more sleep than the night before last). He took in her clothes as she rambled off her ideas for "working the space" in his basement. Something about…streamers with a quarter-inch of tape…? She was wearing a short yellow skirt (like mustard yellow) and a red top (with little yellow birds on it)…he tried not to associate her with ketchup and mustard (he was hungry…). Her hair had small curls in it and a red headband to match her shirt with a little bow on the left of it.

Finn smiled and took the cookies from her and looked up as Sam came walking up the driveway. Sam smiled at Finn and put an arm around Rachel.

Right. Finn tried not to feel deflated…Sam was Rachel's ride. Of course he was going to be here early…why hadn't he thought of that? He knew Sam was going to be at the party and all but…he guessed he just wanted some more alone time with Rachel to get his feelings sorted out. Whatever. Once again…the day wasn't about him. He had to focus on getting everything ready for Kurt.

"So snicker doodles, huh?"

Rachel beamed at him. "Of course! Per your request."

He smirked. "Does that mean I can…"

She smacked his hand before he could even open the top. "No, they're for the party Finn. Please tell me you ate breakfast today…important meal of the day and everything?"

Finn smiled sheepishly. "Does Gatorade and cookies from last night count?"

Rachel shook her head and let out a laugh. "No definitely not! You're going to stunt your growth."

"Rachel, I think I'm done growing. If I grow any taller I won't be able to walk through doorways." He had always been kind of self-conscious about his height and well…anything to do with his body.

It wasn't like he didn't notice how people called him 'frankenteen' behind his back or how he tripped over his own goddamn feet. He knew he was clumsy…and he should have had enough confidence to just say, "fuck you" to anyone who didn't like how he walked or looked. He glanced up at Rachel. He knew she accepted him for everything he was—she actually told him once that she liked how tall he was…because he had to bend down to wrap his arms around her to hug her.

"There is nothing wrong with how tall you are, Finn." She said confidently.

And there she was, defending his insecurities again. Could she, like, read his mind or something? Maybe he should stop thinking about her legs in that skirt then…

"So…how much stuff are we putting up?" Sam asked as Finn led them down to his basement.

"Watch the steps." He told Sam and he watched as Sam took Rachel's hand to make sure she made it down the steps steadily.

She smiled at him in thanks and Finn briefly considered falling down the stairs and knocking himself out so he wouldn't have to witness all this cute crap.

"I have some balloons and streamers…and I think my mom left this, like, banner that says, "Happy Birthday"."

Finn flipped the lights on and they flickered to life in the dark basement. He had already vacuumed the floor and cleaned up the room so that it didn't seem so dusty. His mom and Burt decided to make the basement into one of those cool 'hang out places' that they kept seeing on TV commercials. The ones that said "turn your cellar into a second living room". So they had managed to put a carpet down and buy another couch that fit down the stairs. They set it against the back wall, along with a pool table and a regular table with some chairs. They were working on getting the TV connected but Finn could probably figure that out before two rolled around.

"Is that all the food you have?"

Finn turned to look in the direction of Sam, who was looking at the table on the far side of the room. It had a few trays of cookies and there were some chips…now it was going to have Rachel's cookies (his stomach grumbled at the thought and set them on the table).

"No…man, I invited Puck and he eats more than _I_ do."

"Probably to soak up all the beer." Rachel wrinkled her nose in distaste and Sam chuckled softly.

Finn smiled and tried not to notice Sam's hand stroking her left side. "My mom left money for pizza and we have cake so…I think we'll be good."

"And…everyone gets here at two?" Sam asked, looking around the basement.

"That's what I texted everyone…cept Blaine is bringing Kurt around two-fifteen, so we can yell surprise and stuff."

Rachel clapped her hands excitedly. "Excellent! We better get started. I will be on streamer duty! Finn, get me a chair!"

Finn watched Sam smile at Rachel. That look…he knew that look. He could _feel_ that goddamn look! Sam was falling for Rachel Berry, like, Finn was pretty sure he liked her a lot (maybe even loved her?). He shuddered and tried not to think about it.

Maybe it was too soon for love but Finn recognized that look. It was totally the 'I'm-in-major-like-with-Rachel-Berry-and-may-have-already-pictured-her-naked-' look. Finn's fist clenched at the thought. He guessed he shouldn't have been surprised…he couldn't have been the only one having dreams about Rachel in a red bikini.

But that didn't mean Finn had to like it. Because he didn't.

He glanced over at Sam, who was whispering something in Rachel's ear and she laughed loudly—filling the entire room. Finn tried not to picture Sam's head as something he should hit.

Yeah, he didn't like it at _all_.

O0o0o0o

Balloons, the banner and some of the streamers were hung. It was rounding around to 1:30 so Finn ordered the pizza. By the time it got to the house people would be starting to arrive. Timing was everything…and he knew this pizza place had a knack for being later than they always said…at least by an hour.

He peeked up at Rachel as she stood on a chair, trying to reach the ceiling with the blue streamer he had handed her with some tape.

"You uh, sure you got that? If you topple over…"

"I have it," She grunted…Finn tried to ignore how _awesome_ it made his downstairs brain feel. "Just tell me in what direction I should be heading for the streamer to be evenly spaced with the others."

Finn couldn't have been happier that Sam had been called by his grandmother on his cell…because otherwise Finn wouldn't have been in this position—helping Rachel in a short skirt to hang some streamers. As soon as Sam went upstairs, Finn's eyes were drifting all over Rachel's legs…like he was Christopher Columbus in uncharted territory.

"To the right…." He told her. Yep, wasn't even looking at her hand. "Wait, no, more left." His eyes glided up her legs and rested just below the end of her skirt. He brought his lower lip into his mouth. "Uhm, down. Yeah, now left…"

"Finn Hudson," She screeched, gaining his attention. Blush crept on his cheeks as her eyes connected with his. "I am standing on my toes on a chair trying to hang streamers. Would you stop staring at my _legs_ and watch what I'm doing?"

"I was…I thought there was, like, a spider on your leg or something. You know, those things can be poisonous! I saved your life!"

She wasn't buying that at all but she laughed regardless, which relaxed him a little. "Right. Well, thanks so much. I'll be sure to tell everyone of your white knight valor."

He had no idea what she was saying…wasn't valor some type of lubricant? Or wait, maybe that was Vaseline. Whatever, he knew what a white knight was…so he figured that was good at least. White knights had swords and defeated dragons and everything (his little cousin had made him play _World of Warcraft_ once and that had been enough). They also saved damsels in distress…and he liked the idea of protecting Rachel. So all in all, he decided she had been giving him a compliment.

He grinned and she shook her head, smiling as she turned her attention back to the streamer.

"Its twisted, here…just, turn it left." He smirked. "No, my left."

She snorted in the most girlish way he'd ever heard. "It's the same for both of us, Finn."

He blushed. "Right then."

She turned it and the stream straightened out. She put the tape on the end and stuck it to the ceiling before carefully stepping down from the chair. She glanced at the clock on the wall before looking at him.

"Is that time correct?"

He nodded. "Yeah…why?"

"It's just…I thought you told me Quinn was going to be here at one and it's one-thirty."

_Right, Quinn_. Between Rachel's legs and Sam's goddamn looks at him, he had forgotten all about Quinn. He was guessing she wasn't coming because it was a half n hour passed the time she was supposed to show up and she wasn't there barking in his ear to stop staring at Rachel or begging to get back together with him for the sake of prom.

"I uh, I don't know…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "We kinda broke up."

Finn looked back at Rachel and found that her face was fighting several emotions all at once. Surprise, relief and…sadness? Those were the only ones he could really pick out.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Why? He wasn't…and something told him that's _not_ what Rachel wanted to say.

"It's okay." He said softly.

Because it was…it really was. He was tired of being walked all over like a goddamn doormat and he was _really_ tired of Quinn tearing Rachel apart because she was clearly jealous, insecure or both at once.

Finn wasn't sure what he had expected Rachel to do. It wasn't like he honestly thought she was going to drop everything, including Sam, to be with him after this little information bomb. Maybe he had just wanted something other than a few words.

"Can I…" She hesitated, biting her lower lip. "Can I ask why?"

"Why we broke up?"

She nodded and he sighed, shaking his head. How could he tell her it was because of her and not sound like a total jackass? Because, deep down, Finn knew it just wasn't about prom or the fact that Quinn never let him be on an emotional level with her or how she always tried to control him. Sure, those things were irritating and that wasn't what a relationship should have been about but…he knew it was because of Rachel. Because he was still in love with her…because he had never really stopped being in love with her in the first place. And he broke up with Quinn to be with her. To wait as long as it took for Samchel to run its course.

But he couldn't just…_tell_ her that. That would ruin his friendship with her and her relationship with Sam. And he was not being a relationship ruiner again. God, couldn't they just ever _say_ what they were thinking?

"It was just like…I could never get anything right with her, you know? Everything I did just…caused an argument or something."

And that was all he could really say. He and Quinn had a lot of problems—and it went beyond disagreeing on prom corsages and ballots. It was something deeply rooted in them from the beginning. They had never really…meshed. When they had started dating freshmen year, cause he was quarterback and she was head cheerleader and that's just how things _were_, they didn't really get along because she hardly ever let him speak up with his own opinion or feelings. It was easy to get along with Quinn if he just agreed with her. It wasn't until Rachel that he really told her what he wanted, that he was _more_ than just her arm-candy boyfriend with football gear and a stupid popularity vote. The more he had spoken up, the more Quinn and him fought…until it all basically unraveled. This time was just like the last…except there wasn't a baby involved.

"She didn't appreciate your feelings or your opinions, Finn." Rachel said quietly. "And no matter what she told you, you're _not_ stupid."

He smiled softly. "Or a moron?" He added, smirking softly—trying to joke with her because he was suddenly feeling uncomfortable at the amount of seriousness in her voice and eyes.

"I mean it, Finn. She had no right to call you any of those things."

She swallowed and looked away; he could pick up all the anger in her voice. She was upset…over Quinn calling him insulting names. Is this what he looked like every time Quinn had called Rachel something? He couldn't deny that it was kind of nice to know that she felt just as protective over him as he was for her.

He bent down a little to scoop her hand into his. He gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thanks, Rachel." She looked up at him and a small, warm smile spread over her lips. "Remind me that I have to show you those prom dress sketches my mom left, okay?"

Finn smiled, getting lost in how her hand molded into his. Perfect. Like a puzzle finding its missing piece. He heard Sam approach the basement steps and quickly let go of Rachel's hand, clearing his throat and turning around to grab…something. Fuck. Anything so that his hands could latch onto something.

He picked up her box of cookies and un-popped the lid, snagging one of the delicious round cookies that were going to send his stomach to heaven.

"Dude, I'm pretty sure that pizza is never going to get here." Sam commented, sitting on the couch. He watched as Rachel wandered over and plopped down next to him.

"It will," Finn took a bite out of the cookie he held in his hand and bit back a groan. Seriously. What the _hell_ did Rachel put in these cookies that made them so orgasmic? "This place takes forever and a day to deliver pizza. People aren't due to show up for a half n hour anyways."

"Is everything alright with your grandmother?" Rachel asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, she's just wondering when I'll be home and everything."

Finn took another bite of his cookie and leaned against the table. His mind kept drifting over the idea of getting Sam upstairs again somehow. _So I could hang out with Rachel without feeling his eyes on my friggin back the whole time. _

He looked over at Sam and Rachel on the couch, watched as Sam put an arm around her and smiled as they talked over little things like his grandma, dinner at his house and then driving Rachel to the hospital to see her dad. They were so comfortable and relaxed—perfectly happy in each other's company.

Yeah, their conversation was simple, plain, ordinary, not important or significant. But that didn't mean Finn wouldn't give anything to be on that couch, with Rachel, holding her close to him…talking about every-day insignificant stuff just like Sam was.

O0o0o0o0o

Finn wasn't entirely sure how things had gotten out of hand. The party had been going on for a friggin hour and there was already beer stains all over the carpet and pieces of food on basically every goddamn surface. The music Artie had brought had a lot of bass and rap, which was fine, Finn didn't care but it was making the whole basement shake and plastic cups were vibrating off tables and countertops—spilling their contents on whatever was below. He was pretty sure this was worse than the Rachel Berry House Party Extravaganza.

Before he knew it, people were arriving. Quinn was pissed off and barely looked at him, Mercedes was chatting with Rachel and Sam was smiling at their conversation, Puck was filling up red plastic cups with God knows what (combinations of peach wine coolers and vodka…and something else) and Blaine was texting Finn that him and Kurt were going to be there soon. Everyone yelled surprise as Kurt and Blaine came down the steps and the look on Kurt's face was priceless—happy, thankful…Finn couldn't have been smiling wider at how surprised Kurt was.

But then all of a sudden the music was really loud and as far as Finn could tell everyone had had a drink or two and he wished he could have had a really large cup of _whatever_ Puck was passing out because his mom was going to be _pissed_ at the ruined carpet Burt had just put down. He nursed the half cup of pop in his hand and took a small sip, the bubbles of fizz tickling his lips as he swallowed. How the hell was he supposed to drive everyone home? He could probably deal with all the guys sleeping over so that they could sober up but he'd have to cart all the girls home—and here he thought having a bunch of girls in one car with him would have been some kind of wet dream. But he was so far from being turned on at the thought. In fact, he was annoyed by it. Couldn't they have one goddamn party without all the booze? He wasn't like…a prude (or wait; was it a teetotaler?) or anything. He drank at parties. Every time the damn cheerleaders had had a cheerio party he drank a beer and a half with Puck so that he wouldn't have to put up with Quinn's nonstop whining about the beer in her hand making her fat in her cheerleading uniform.

But Finn promised his mom that there wouldn't be drinking…so least he could do was make that true on his part. Besides, there needed to be someone to take these drunk-asses home. He glanced over at Rachel and…he was honestly surprised to see a cup in her hand because the last time she had approved of drinking and all that it involved, Brittany had vomited purple gunk all over her. He swore she was done with drinking after that but…maybe she had water or something.

Puck sauntered over to where Sam and Rachel were sitting. Rachel had Mercedes sitting on the floor, back against the couch and between her legs to try and braid her hair. Finn really tried not to think of how perfectly Rachel's legs were spread and swore Sam heard his thoughts because he took his jacket off and draped it over Rachel's bare legs. Both of the girls looked up at Puck who had two red cups in his hands. He said something about how it was hot that Mercedes was in-between Rachel's legs like that and Finn rolled his eyes. Puck was a typical horny teenager when sober so…it was at least ten times worse when he was drunk. He was damn near vulgar (but then again…Finn hadn't just been thinking about Rachel's legs or anything…).

Before he could approach Puck and ask him to stop peddling his alcohol concoction like it was water in the Savannah, Quinn appeared right in front of him. Seriously, one moment she was on the other side of the room and the next she was smack dab against his chest—like, clinging to him and spilling her drink on his shirt.

"Quinn!" He grabbed her wrists and tried to straighten her hand but it was useless, half the cup was already emptied on his shirt. He sighed.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She slurred.

He shook his head as she struggled against his hold on her wrists. He didn't want to hurt her so he let go and she collapsed against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist like a goddamn choke hold. Her head bumped against his left arm as she…was she _snuggling_ against him? He didn't know what to do with his hands…he finally just, kind of, rested them on her shoulders because he was super uncomfortable and she smelled like cheap flower perfume and a distillery. When had Quinn become a clingy drunk instead of an angry one that just yelled a lot? Because he would have rather had the Quinn with rage-blackouts than the clingy-induced beer stain on his shirt.

"Doing what?" He asked, trying to walk over towards the chairs with her. He finally just wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her.

"Dumping me!" She screeched and he winced. He set her down on a chair and sighed softly. "I loooooooved you," Quinn swooned and Finn placed his hand on her shoulder to steady her. "And I jussst wanted to be prom king—!"

"Queen." He corrected but it went unheard because she continued in all her drunken glory.

"—was that too much to ask of you?" She grabbed a cup sitting on the table next to her and took a very large gulp. "It was her, wasn't it? Miss _Berry_." He was glad the music was so loud because she was basically screaming. "You're still in love with her, aren't you? Even though she's together with my ex boyfriend! She takes everything from me! Solos and boyfriends and…and she's fucking pretty!"

Finn was pretty sure Quinn meant to _insult_ Rachel there but it came out as a compliment instead. _The awesome effects of alcohol, ladies and gents. _

"Quinn…"

She looked up at him, her anger suddenly melting into tears. Her doe eyes filled with sadness and he heard her breath hiccup in her chest.

"She's taken _everything_."

He couldn't just walk away from this. He sighed, once again cursing himself for having this party and for inviting Puck because he knew he'd bring beer (which caused people to behave like assholes but ironically it was a truth serum too) and why couldn't he just be a dick this one time instead letting girls with tears strolling down their faces turn him into a puddle of guilt with the sudden need to comfort them.

"Shh." He said softly, bending down a little so that his face was across from hers.

He cupped her face and ran his thumb over her cheek. This was for the little moments, before Rachel and before the babygate—before his confusing feelings and her jealously ruined them both, when he actually considered that he loved her.

"I'm sorry, okay? This whole relationship was my fault. I had gotten back together with you while still being in love with someone else…and that wasn't fair to you."

She sniffled and a sole tear strolled down her cheek. "I just wanted to be perfect. And that included being with you." The slur on the end of her words really downplayed what she was saying. She sounded ridiculous instead of sincere.

"I know." He said anyways, giving her the slightest kiss on her forehead. "We can still be friends okay?" He needed to get her home.

She nodded softly and looked away from him. "You didn't answer meeeeee." A large pout formed on her lips as Finn stood up and looked down at her. "You feel back in love with her, didn't you?"

Feel? Oh, _fell_. Actually, he _did_ answer that. It was a different question but it had the same answer. He guessed between the beer and the tears Quinn hadn't heard him.

"No, I uhm, I never fell _out_ of love with her." Finn said softly, his voice confident, trying to get her to understand.

She was smashed beyond all belief, taking yet another large sip out of the stupid red cup. But beyond the haze of drunkenness and teary eyes, he saw something that hadn't been there before.

Understanding.

Quinn finally understood his feelings for Rachel—and hopefully that meant that she was just ready to except them and move on. Because even though she could be manipulative…and a bitch…deep down he knew Quinn was a nice girl (when she was happy at least). And she deserved to be with someone that could make her happy.

It just wasn't him.

He glanced over at Rachel, who was taking ridiculously large sips out of the cup Puck had given her. She was giggling over nothing and leaning onto Sam like he was the fucking comfiest pillow she'd ever seen.

Finn just wanted to make Rachel happy again—the problem was somebody else was already making her happy and he didn't know if he'd ever have that chance again.

O0o0o0

:) Hope everyone enjoyed! Please review to let me know how I'm doing! Thank you!


	11. Chapter 11

Technically here's the other half of chapter 10 XD thanks to everyone who reviewed and read! I really, really appreciate it!

Its funny, I get so many mixed reviews! Some people love the samchel and others are dying for finchel back XD Don't worry, this is a finchel story and will end up that way! But I'm not going to hurt Sam; he doesn't deserve a painful break up :) So whatever happens, it will be mutual. Until then…

Here's chapter 11! :D So what did I end up doing again? Writing more than I should for one chapter lol that's why it took me longer to update. Once again this turned into 2 chapters. Chapter 12 will be posted on Monday, just long enough for me to get some reviews and reply to them!

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0

Finn had finally managed to get some water into Quinn. Besides angry and now clingy, she was a stubborn drunk too. He couldn't get her to do something if she didn't want to. And she by no means wanted to sober up. He kept trying to give her cups of water and finally when she threw a cup at his head he had had enough. He eventually just had to trick her and he stumbled over to her like he had been drinking too. He took a long sip from the cup he had in his hand and told her he had some vodka for her. She downed the whole thing in a matter of two sips—then made a face afterwards saying it had no flavor…yeah, that's because it was pure water.

She threw the cup at his head again for that one. Dodged it like a ninja.

As Quinn stood, she went to gather her purse to go upstairs. She drifted on her feet a little, swaying from side to side as she dug out her car keys from her purse.

"Quinn? What are you doing?"

"I'm going home, what does it look like?" She wasn't as wasted as she was before but she definitely wasn't sober enough to drive.

"Alright, lemme take you." He went to grab her keys but she quickly moved her hand.

"No! I don't want you…to take me. I don't like you very much right now." He raised his eyebrows.

"Well you're not driving yourself home, Quinn."

"You can't tell me what to do! We're not dating anymore, remember?" She spat and he sighed. Right, now came the bitterness. Of course she'd choose _now_ to be stubborn with him.

He ran a hand through his hair and tried once again to grab her keys from her. "Well, we're friends now right? And…friends don't let…people drive their drunken asses home. Or…something like that."

Quinn huffed and put her keys down her shirt. "Come get them if you want them." She beamed and he shook his head.

He was about to just pick her up and carry her to his car and drive her home that way, she could pick up her own goddamn car tomorrow when she was sober and less bitchy.

"You want me to take her?" Finn turned to see Sam standing in back of him, watching Quinn with an amused look on his face.

Finn looked over Sam's shoulder at Rachel, who was holding Tina's hands and dancing to the beat of a rap song. "Uhm, you want to drive Quinn home?"

"Well unless you want to fish her keys out of her bra…yeah, I'll take her. I brought my own car so…"

"You weren't drinking?" Yeah, okay, so Finn was kind of excited by the fact that Sam wanted to take Quinn home and he'd have some alone time with Rachel but…he wasn't going to let him take her if he had even the slightest buzz.

"No, just water, I uh…" He looked over at Rachel. "I have to take her somewhere tonight so…"

Sam didn't have to say anything more. Finn already knew what he was talking about. He had to drive Rachel to see her dad tonight. He wondered what the hell Mr. Hiram and Leroy would think of their little girl, wasted for at least the third time and grinding against…was that Puck? Jesus, he needed to get some water into her too.

He looked at Quinn and she threw him a large pout…apparently she was disappointed that he didn't want to put his hand down her shirt. "Sam's going to take you home, okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She started towards the stairs, tumbling up them as she went. Damn those uneven steps.

"Hey, thanks, I uh…"

Sam just shook his head and put his hand up as he dug for his keys in his jeans pocket.

"Don't worry about it, just, do me a favor? Keep an eye on Rachel for me? She kind of got into a fight with her dad this morning and I think that's why her and that red cup are such good friends all of a sudden."

Finn frowned and looked over at Rachel, who was snorting loudly and talking to Puck about her morning routine in great detail. Did he just hear something about a loofah?

"What did they fight about?"

"She told me that her dad was just stressed about everything with the hospital and… I guess he just took out his anger in the wrong way, you know?" He looked over at Rachel and tensed. "Puck! Lay off my girlfriend!"

He was suddenly glad that Lauren had texted that she couldn't make the party because he could just see the amount of bloodshed that could have happened if she saw Rachel and Puck grinding it up in his basement.

While Sam went over to push a horny Puck off his girlfriend, Finn ran his tongue over his lower lip, thinking about what Sam had just said. He felt bad that Rachel couldn't seem to catch a break. He knew her fathers were probably way past stressed (hospitals never helped. He remembered how upset and irritable his mom had been with the hospital staff when Burt had had his heart attack) and Rachel wasn't the most…let's just say, low maintenance girl in the world so emotions were probably running high in the Berry household.

Still…he sympathized for Rachel—there was nothing worse than being yelled at by a parent especially if it was sort of an accident and didn't really deserve it. He watched as Sam lifted a drunk and giggly Rachel into his arms and sat her on the couch, next to Blaine and Kurt who were holding hands and talking to Mercedes. Blaine had an amused look on his face as Rachel tugged on his vest and said something that was apparently hilarious. Finn almost forgot that Rachel and Blaine had kissed the last time Rachel had gotten drunk off her friggin ass. So Blaine…didn't really mind that she was giggling over nothing and hanging on him—Kurt however looked like he was about to murder Finn's ex-girlfriend (technically ex-ex girlfriend because he had just broken up with Quinn but…whatever, his head hurt thinking about it).

Sam came back over to him and sighed, shaking his head. "I gotta go before Quinn tries to start her car. I'll be back."

Finn nodded and watched Sam head up the steps, taking two at a time. Finn managed to towel off his wet shirt that Quinn had drenched with her beer.

He turned back to look at Rachel, who was sipping once again out of her red cup. He smiled softly when she squealed and yelled 'Finny' as he slowly went over to sit next to her.

Operation 'watch Rachel so she doesn't do anything stupid while drunk' was now in effect.

0o0o0o0o

The party died down an hour after Sam had left to take Quinn home. Brittany and Santana had come late and left early…basically to stop by to wish Kurt a happy birthday, play kiss-n-tell and then steal beer and cake on their way out to leave, which Finn was perfectly fine with. With Brittany and Santana out of the mix that only left him three drunken glee members to worry about. Blaine and Kurt had started drinking water to sober up after they saw Mercedes vomit all over the cookie table, Puck had passed out upstairs and was now asleep on Finn's bed (he guessed he'd be sleeping over and wanting his mom to make him pancakes and eggs tomorrow morning…moocher), and when Kurt was sober enough to stop singing the same show tune over and over again he took Mercedes home. So that left him with Artie, Tina and Mike. Mike wasn't as drunk as the other two but Finn still had to take all of them home.

Rachel was currently asleep on the couch, her head in Blaine's lap…so he guessed he could quickly run everyone home. He asked Blaine to keep an eye on her anyways until he got back.

Finn was a bit worried by the time he dropped Tina off at her house and started back to his own. If Sam wasn't back yet from dropping off Quinn something might have happened. Quinn lived the furthest away compared to all the glee club members but it didn't take two hours to drop her off. When he pulled into the driveway he checked his phone and realized he had one missed call. He listened to the voicemail. Luckily it was Sam and he and Quinn were fine…apparently she had gotten carsick halfway to her house and he had to pull over to let her vomit.

On top of that her mom had been thrilled to see Sam when he dropped her off and had dragged him into conversation and dinner. Finn smirked and shook his head as he got out of the car and went back inside his house. Sam _was_ just like him sometimes…he had a hard time saying no. He couldn't help but wonder how Rachel would take that…her current boyfriend eating dinner with Quinn and her mom. He rubbed the back of his neck. Actually, he thought he _knew_ how she'd take it because he knew how it felt when he thought about Rachel having dinner with Sam and his grandmother—and it wasn't a good feeling. It was kind of like…a sinking sensation, like falling off a cliff. It made his knees weak and his stomach sick and it always felt like he was running out of time or something.

Finn walked down his uneven basement steps to find Rachel dancing with Blaine to a very fast song with an incredibly loud beat. He chuckled softly as Blaine grabbed her hand and spun her, her skirt fluttering out….almost giving him a hint of her underwear. At least Kurt wasn't glaring at Rachel this time, he was laughing and spinning her too when Blaine passed her his way.

When the song changed Rachel spun Kurt and tried to dip him…but just ended up losing her balance and falling over, landing on the floor and on top of him in a giggling mess.

Finn rushed over to help her off Kurt and she squealed again when she saw him, jumping up and throwing herself into his arms.

"Finny Bear!"

He nearly toppled over at the amount of force she put into that tackle-hug (for someone so little she sure could pack a lot of energy). Blaine laughed and helped Kurt up, who was trying to fix his hair and vest all at once. He saw Blaine sneak a kiss to Kurt's cheek, trying to get the angry and embarrassed blush to disappear off his face.

"Rachel! Hey, are you alright?"

"I'm more than alright! The room is _glowing_, Finn! Like, sparkling!"

He smirked and shook his head as her arms wrapped around his waist. "I don't think its sparkling; I think it's the vodka."

"Vodka _sparkles_?"

Finn slowly shook his head, a wide smile appearing on his lips. That's not what he meant at all but she was so goddamn excited over the idea that vodka could and might sparkle that he didn't want to tell her otherwise.

He decided that he was going to relish in this closeness with her…when Sam got back _he'd_ be the one she was hanging on, calling him adorable (yet kinda weird) pet names, and it'd be _him_ that got to take care of her when her drunkenness took a not so cute turn.

When another song turned, she squeezed his waist harder than he thought possible. He thought she was scared or something because the last time she squeezed his waist that hard was before he made her go on a roller coaster during the summer—Rachel Berry was not one for heights. She had basically been squeezing him and hiding her face in his shirt the entire time in line (and Finn wasn't going to pretend that he didn't enjoy every second of it).

"I _loooooove _this song!" She gushed…he was pretty sure she had no idea what song was playing. "Dance with me! Finny, please?"

He couldn't say no to those pouting lips and wide eyes…not to mention she had a death grip on his waist. He bent down just a little and wrapped his arms around her waist and as he did she moved her arms to rest around his neck. When he stood up to his full height she was basically on her tippy toes. He swayed with her to the beat of the music and smiled as she completely collapsed against his chest.

Finn took one of her arms off his shoulder and held her hand, spinning her. She giggled and then managed to trip over her own feet, crashing into him. He grabbed her before she could fall and she smiled.

"Alwaaaays catching me. Always got meee." She said, her voice practically singing on some words.

"Yeah, I do." He said firmly.

"Well you know who has you?" She asked, pulling away, her hips swaying to the song. "I do!"

He chuckled. "Rach, I'm pretty sure I'd crush you if you tried to catch me while I was falling."

"No! Silly! Metaaaaphysically." She snorted. "Meta_phorically_, I got you." She corrected herself.

Finn nodded slowly. "And metaphors are important, right?"

She gasped, like he had said magical words or something and beamed at him. "_Yes_! So important, Finny. Metaphorically, I'd catch you and…I'd do anything for you, Finn. Do you know that? _Anything, _Finn."

Either she really liked saying his name or she had no idea that she had crammed his name three times into one sentence. He smiled softly as she hugged him, resting her head over his heart, smiling and snuggling her face into the fabric of his shirt.

"I know, Rachel. I'd do anything for you too." She snuggled into him a bit closer upon hearing that.

He remembered that the last time Rachel had been drunk and all over him he'd been kind of annoyed, irritated that she couldn't just leave him alone—let him heal…let him get over her. But this time was different...it was like she wasn't _close_ enough to him. So he held her tighter, pulled her closer to him, let her hands hold onto his arms, waist, neck, shoulders and shirt—he didn't want her to pull away.

"It's because I still love you, you know that?" She shouted over the music, it rang through his ears.

He swallowed and closed his eyes a moment—because, right, of _course_ this would be the moment where she'd admit her feelings (when she was dating someone else, and she was an emotional wreck and drunk and the fucking vodka was acting as a truth serum!).

"Yeah, I know." He finally said; his voice cracking. "I still love you too."

Because he did. He never stopped.

And it wasn't like she would remember what they both were saying anyways.

0o0o0o0o0

Another thing vodka and beer did to Rachel Berry was give her a hell of a lot of energy. Sometimes when she was sober Finn had a hard time telling her apart from the Energizer Bunny but it was at least five times worse when she had had a few cups of Puck's secret booze mix in her.

Finn had danced a few more times with her until he finally had to sit. Dancing was not his strong suit and…she kept throwing these moves his way that didn't leave much to the imagination of what she'd look like doing a strip tease. Was she trying to _kill him_? Maybe he needed to change the music to something that didn't have such a friggin erotic beat. Was it hot down in the basement or was it just him?

His phone vibrated in his pants pocket and he opened it to see that Sam was finally heading back to his house—so in thirty or so minutes Sam would have an erotic Rachel all to himself. Finn sighed. Great, that's all he needed to be thinking about.

Finn got up off the couch to head upstairs and use the bathroom (too many waters and sodas and anything that _wasn't_ beer because if he lost his goddamn inhibitions he'd be taking Rachel upstairs to his bedroom…regardless if Puck was passed out in there or not).

When he came back out of the bathroom, he went to go into the kitchen because he thought he remembered his mom saying that she left her sketches for Rachel on the island countertop. Sure, Rachel was kind of drunk and she probably couldn't even consider what dress she'd want…but he figured he could get some water into her and maybe a bit of food to soak up the alcohol while she looked at the drawings.

He was pretty sure nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he turned into the kitchen…no matter how many times he had dreamed about Rachel in his kitchen with her clothes off.

Rachel was standing near the sink and had the water running, she was trying to take her shirt off but for some reason she was having a hard time getting her body parts to match up with the holes on her shirt. Her arm and head were stuck in-between the fabric…leaving a frustrated Rachel grunting and whining as she tried to get her shirt off in her drunken state.

Unfortunately all Finn could focus on was her bright, red bra against her tan skin. The lace sat perfectly against her, patterns of flowers in the sheer fabric—he wanted to run his fingers over it.

He bit his lip and shook his head, trying to shake the image of Rachel and a whipped cream can from his head as he went over and tried to help.

"Rachel, what are you _doing_?"

"I'm being attacked my _shirrrt_!" Her last word was a squeal as she grew more and more frustrated. He chuckled.

"Stop before your strangle yourself. Here."

As he put his hands on her arms, she stopped struggling. He gently untangled her from her shirt and tugged it off her head. It was like she was in slow motion all of a sudden; her hair flowed down and rested gently against her shoulders—the curls teasing him against the red outline of the straps of her bra.

He cleared his throat as she brought her lower lip into her mouth, pouting. "I spilled beer all over my shirt and…" She looked down. "I think my skirts wet too."

Fuck this was not happening. He really couldn't deal with a half naked Rachel in his kitchen with Puck upstairs, Blaine and Kurt downstairs and Sam on his way to pick up his _girlfriend_.

"Your skirt is fine." He said quickly. _For God's sake Rachel, please don't touch your skirt._ "I'll just…let me get you a shirt, okay?"

This whole Rachel Berry without clothes thing was quickly becoming some sort of trend at his house.

He took Rachel's shoulders and gently squeezed them, backing her up to sit on a chair. He turned the water off at the sink and ran upstairs to find a shirt before Rachel could shed more clothing. He wondered if that mole was still there right above her collar bone..._ Idiot, what are you thinking? That it migrated? Of _course_ it's still there. _

He grabbed a shirt, didn't care whether it was clean or dirty, ignored Puck's drunken stupor mumblings about a hot cheerleader named Taylor and bolted downstairs and back into the kitchen.

Rachel was still there and still had her clothes on…well, cept for the shirt of course. She was swinging her legs and when she saw him she beamed.

"Finny!"

He smiled and came over to her. "Yeah, Rach. Here…come on, I'll help you. Arms up."

Her arms instantly shot up and he smirked, bending them a little before kneeling in front of her. He guided her arms through the correct holes and then put the shirt over her head. He breathed out as he saw the little gold star he had given her for Christmas shine against the kitchen lights. As she moved a little to get the shirt on, it wound its way around the right bra strap.

"Wait." He said softly, moving his hand to gently untangle the chain. His fingers slid against her soft skin and under the strap and he felt her shiver, goosebumps gathering on her skin. The chain slid free, the star falling to rest right against her chest bone. "Got it."

He looked up at her and watched as her eyes searched his. He tugged the shirt down and smiled softly, playing with the edges of the t-shirt as it rested against her skirt.

"Let's get some food into you, okay?" He tickled her stomach softly as he stood and turned to face the sink.

He let out a long breath and closed his eyes a moment, turning the water on to rinse her shirt off…and hopefully his semi-hard on would go down before he had to turn and face her again.

O0o0o0o0

:)) hope everyone enjoyed! Leave a review if you want to tell me what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

Okay, here's chapter 12! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I'm not sure when I will have 13 up; I still have to write it XD ASAP! :)

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"_Let's get some food into you, okay?" He tickled her stomach softly as he stood and turned to face the sink._

_He let out a long breath and closed his eyes a moment, turning the water on to rinse her shirt off…and hopefully his semi-hard on would go down before he had to turn and face her again. _

"What do you feel like eating?" Finn asked her, scrubbing the stain on her shirt with a bit of soap.

"Do you…remember my house party?"

How could he forget? That nightgown she had worn gave him nightmares. "Yeah, what about it?" He finished up with her shirt and hung it over the sink to dry. He dried his hands on a dish towel.

"I kissed Blaine." He chuckled softly and wondered where she was going with this because, yeah, she kissed Blaine…he was there and saw everything. "And I…I thought he was straight!" She giggled and he leaned against the sink. She was laughing but…she sounded sad. "I thought…it would make me feel better…about you."

Her long eyelashes flicked up as she looked up at him. Her lip wobbled. "But it d-didn't."

"Hey, hey…" He went towards her. Geez, Rachel was a vest…_versatile_! She was a versatile drunk. She damn near covered all the bases...all except the anger one, he was glad she hadn't touched that stage yet.

He touched her shoulders and squeezed them, his thumbs running over her neck a moment. "It's okay. You know? It worked out," He smiled softly. "We're friends now and that's all that matters."

"You hated me then…"

That hurt to hear a lot more than he expected. "No, Rachel. I _never_ hated you."

For a drunk girl, her sentences were way more...clearer than Quinn's had been. Typical Rachel Berry and her perfectly formed sentences no matter if she was trashed or not. She slurred but for some reason he found it more adorable than irritating. He guessed he'd always have this soft spot for her no matter what the situation.

"We weren't friends either soooo you probably wouldn't have kissed me even if the bottle spun on me anyways."

Who the hell was she kidding? "I would have kissed you Rachel." He told her softly and she stood from the chair, walking towards him as she played with the bottom of her shirt. He swallowed thickly.

Why did her skirt have to look so inviting, and her legs go on for miles, and why did she have to have such a huge and adorable pout or smell like vanilla? He let her get close to him, lean against his body a little—maybe he was trying to use that excuse that she needed him to lean on because she was drunk and her legs were all wobbly.

"Will you kiss me _now_?" She asked, her voice vulnerable yet full of emotion that he couldn't describe behind it all.

"Rachel," He shook his head. "It's not that I don't want to," Because he did, he _really_ did. "But you're drunk and…not to mention with Sam and…I'm sorry, I can't."

He had too much respect for her, for himself and for what they could be...and he wasn't going to let a drunken kiss ruin that.

"Sam…is over at Quinn's isn't he?"

Wow, she shifted gears fast. "He took her home because she was drunk…like you, how bout we make you some pancakes? I think my mom left some batter in the fridge."

He turned to go into the refrigerator and pulled out the container of batter. She came up beside up and leaned into him, clinging onto his waist. Back to the clingy drunk. He set the mix on the counter and looked down at her, running a hand over her back.

"What iffffff he's…still into her? Because she's Quinn and pretty and her voice is kinda nice, _obviously_ not as nice as mine," He chuckled softly and shook his head. "And she dresses in skirts and stuff and…and I'm sure she allows guys to get to fifth base sooner than I do."

His eyebrows crinkled. "Uh, I think you mean third."

"I hate baseball." She pouted and he smiled, pulling her back a little so she'd look up at him.

"Rachel, Sam's a nice guy and everything but…I don't think he'd be, you know, helping you out with your dads, getting you a job, defending you in halls, or whatever…unless he really feels something for you."

Rachel smiled slowly. "So you think he likes me?"

He chuckled softly. "Yeah, I'd bet on that." He tapped her nose with his finger. "Don't worry so much about it, okay?"

She nodded, her head bobbing up and down in a fast motion. He smirked and plopped her right back into the chair she had been sitting in before. "Here," He pushed a few pieces of paper towards her. "These are my mom's sketches for your dress."

She gasped as she picked one up. "It's so pretty!"

He smiled slowly. "Yeah...if you were wearing the top part of it on the bottom," Finn chuckled. "It's upside down, Rach." He turned the paper right side up for her and she beamed. "Maybe I should get you some water first."

"Do you think Sam would like straaaaps or a tube top dress?"

Finn smiled softly. "I think he knows you look beautiful in anything. So pick whatever _you_ like."

"Your mom did soooooo many sketches!" Rachel stated as Finn turned to get a glass down from the cabinet above the sink. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble for her."

She sounded like the old-Rachel, the non drunk one that wasn't trying to kiss him. He set the water down and watched her look over the drawings. There was still a small slur on the end of her words and she was totally trying to sip water from the opposite side of the cup because it made her giggle. He shook his head and smiled slowly, handing her a straw before she spilled the entire cup of water over his mom's drawings. Drunk Rachel was adorable—that he couldn't deny.

"No, she barely gets to work on her sewing stuff…" Finn trailed off, watching Rachel sip her water out of her straw. Except, she wasn't just sipping…she was goddamn _sucking_. "So, uhm, she was glad to do it."

She was sucking, pulling some water into her mouth and her lips kept moving down the straw and up again…in a slow, bobbing motion that wasn't on purpose. She wasn't even looking at him; she was engrossed in the drawings on the table. But, fucking Christ, if she didn't knock it off…

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a hard-on growing in his pants. He cleared his throat and quickly got up, turning towards the stove and the pancake batter. He tried to focus on the task at hand but all he could think about was her lips on the straw and how it could have been on his—

"Damnit!"

He turned the fire off and swore, holding his fingers with his right hand. Seriously? He couldn't believe that he was one of those people that got so consumed with naughty thoughts that they didn't remember that a hot pan was on the stove. Jesus, he was _Puck_.

"Finny!"

He heard Rachel jump off her chair and…trip on one of the legs. She stumbled a bit and rushed over to him, trying to unclamp his right hand that had a death grip on his fingers.

"Aw Rachel, it's okay, I'm fine…you don't have to…"

"Hush, Hudson!" Alright, so her authoritative voice was kinda sexy… _God, why can't I think with my upstairs brain? Is it broken? _

"You burned yourself, this is no joking matter. Lemme see!"

Well…okay but he wasn't joking at all. He sighed and moved his right hand to let her survey the damage because determined-Rachel wanted to see his fingers and…he thought it'd hurt more than help if he kept his hand there.

"The pads of your fingers are red…" She ran her thumb over them. "You _know_ if you would have kept them on the pan _longer_ you could have burned your fingerprints _off_…then I would be convinced that you're a secret _agent_!"

He chuckled at the amount of emphasis she put on random words. "I'm too clumsy to be a secret agent, Rach."

"It could be all a ploy to fool us all!" She snorted and grabbed a paper towel. She turned the water on cold and let it run over the cloth a moment.

Finn smirked and shook his head as she ran the cold and wet paper towel over his fingers. "I promise you I'm not."

"Because you'd tell me if you were!"

He laughed and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "You'd be the only person I'd tell."

She grinned at him and held the paper towel on his fingers. When she pulled the paper towel back (it felt like she had been standing there for hours, her hands holding onto his, the cold cloth quickly warming against his skin) she leaned down and smiled, placing kisses on the pads of his burnt fingertips.

Finn watched her, entranced at how soft her lips felt against his stinging skin.

"All better." She said softly, lifting her head up to look at him.

Words. Yeah, words would have been really good. "Uh," He cleared his throat, his mouth dry. "Yeah, thank you."

She smiled, all adorable with blushes and the ends of her eyelashes brushing under her eyes as she looked down.

Finn leaned against the counter, pancakes forgotten for a moment, his sore fingers making him wary to try and cook again. "Sam…said you had a fight with your dad this morning."

The smile slowly disappeared from her face. She was still a bit buzzed but the amount of seriousness in her expression told him she was sober enough to talk about it.

He watched Rachel look down and bite her lower lip. "It was nothing." She finally said, looking up at him.

He swallowed. "It must have been _something_ for you to down at least three cups of Puck's booze mixture."

She shifted on her feet. "What, were you staring at me the whole time or something?"

Finn stared at her for a moment, thrown off by the sudden mood change. Was she…upset? "No…," Not exactly. "Anyone with eyes could tell you had one too many when you tried to table dance to _Shots_."

Rachel sighed and rubbed her hands over her face and pulled them away, looking up at him with irritated eyes. "You're not my boyfriend Finn, what do you care?"

Maybe this was the angry drunk coming out in her but...god she sounded so hurt as her words echoed through the kitchen. Her voice cut through his skin, squeezed his heart until he felt pain circulating through him.

After everything they've went through, after she opened up and cried for hours against his chest, after soft smiles and water fights and bonding with his mom all over again, after shared touches, hugs and gestures…_that_ is what she had to say to him?

He swallowed thickly. "How could you say that?" He asked softly, his eyes drifting to the floor.

She was silent as he looked up at her and then suddenly her whole frame shuddered, her body lurching forward for a moment.

"I feel sick." She murmured, hand over her mouth. She practically ran out of the kitchen and to the bathroom as fast as her feet could take her.

He sighed and shook his head. One more thing Puck's magical mixtures were good for other than dancing on tables and making the drinkers display large amounts of cuddling or yelling…vomiting. _Great_.

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Finn slowly walked down the hall to the bathroom where Rachel was vomiting. He wanted to go inside…hold her hair or rub her back or something but after what she had just said in the kitchen he didn't really want to be anywhere near her. Drunk or sober—what she had said really hurt him. He rubbed the back of his neck as he heard her cough.

She had managed to close the door before retching up Puck's three cups of vodka and strawberry wine coolers.

He knocked on the door. "Rach?"

She coughed harshly and he heard the toilet flush. "Go away, Finn."

Now, that just pissed him off. "No, you can't tell me what to do bossy Berry."

He pushed the door open and winced as she heaved into the toilet, a strangled cry afterwards. He sighed softly and kneeled next to the toilet and gathered her soft curls into his fingers. He rubbed her back as she heaved one more time before leaning back into him, panting softly.

Finn reached over her and flushed the toilet and tried to ignore the putrid smell of stale vodka and a bit of sweat from her overworked body expelling the contents of her stomach. As she leaned back into him the sweet smell of her shampoo wafted to his nose. At least her hair smelled nice—like…vanilla and lilacs all at once.

He leaned against the tub and opened his legs a little so that she shifted right between them. She turned in his arms, curling into his chest. The heat of her body slowly disappeared, leaving a small sheen of sweat on her skin that made her shiver from the cold bathroom air.

He took a washcloth from a small cabinet next to the tub and gently dabbed her forehead.

"You feel better?" He asked softly, not wanting to be too loud because he _knew_ she had a headache.

"Not at all," She replied, just as soft. She sniffled and gently ran her cheek along his shirt. "I am honestly embarrassed I used alcohol as an outlet."

He smirked softly. "Yeah, well…there are worse things." And there were. He was just glad she was okay. "We'll get some pancakes and Advil into your stomach and you'll feel a lot better."

Finn looked down at her when she didn't reply. He could feel her lip wobble against his chest and frowned. Was she crying? He rubbed her back and waited for her to say something.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" He held her closer, his arms squeezing her to him.

"I was a bitch to you in there." She choked out.

His eyes widened. He never heard Rachel swear, like, ever...and hearing her talk like that about herself was just...he didn't like it.

"Hey, don't call yourself that. You're not…you were just upset."

"Yeah, but…" She shook her head, letting out a very small cry. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Especially you. All you've been doing is trying to help me and be there for me and I repay you by getting drunk in your basement and yelling at you."

"Rachel…" He shifted his shoulder a little so it would move her head to try and get her to look at him. "Hey, look at me."

When she did he was almost overwhelmed at how breathtakingly beautiful she was. Swollen pink lips and mascara from her eyelashes dashing black strike marks right under her eyes, almost ruining the perfect shade of blush on her cheekbones.

"It's okay to be all over the place. You know, if you weren't…"

"Messed up?" She filled in, her voice wavering.

"Dealing with everything you're going through in your own way…I'd be worried about you." He leaned forward and gave her a long and lingering kiss on her forehead. "And okay, Puck's magical vodka isn't the _best_ way to deal but…" He smiled as she let out a small giggle. "At least you're trying."

He knew everything with her dad couldn't have been easy on her. He couldn't even imagine how he'd act or cope if his mom ever got sick. Rachel was doing the best she could and truth be told, she was a mess…all over the place with her emotions and how to deal with them. But she was doing the best she could. She was strong—that was definitely something he couldn't deny.

"I ruined my dad's muffin sheet."

He frowned. "Huh?" Totally lost…although muffins sounded really good right about now_. Focus, Finn._

"This morning," She sniffled. "My dad got mad when I ruined his muffin sheet. I…we need a new oven and this last time it destroyed the muffin sheet. He wasn't really mad about that, I knew he wasn't mad at me for _that_. But he took one look at it and started screaming." Rachel looked up into his eyes. "I've _never_ heard him scream so loud and—it took a few minutes but I realized he wasn't really screaming at me but…"

"Releasing some pent up anger?"

She nodded and her lip wobbled. "Yeah."

He brought his arms up to hug her around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest again. Her face settled against his shoulder. "And just the thought of going back to that hospital again tonight and seeing my dads…" She sighed softly, her voice muffled against his shirt. "I just drank back Puck's vodka and I shouldn't have."

"Yeah, well, here's a life lesson. Never drink anything Puck hands you in a red cup." She laughed against him, and even though it was a bit strained, he'd take that over her crying. "Let's get you some food, okay?"

She pulled back and smiled softly. She nodded and stood, grabbing his hand to help him up. Her legs were wobbly and she leaned into him as he put an arm around her shoulder to walk into the kitchen.

And it would have been perfect…if she didn't have that boyfriend and everything.

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At least when Sam had made it to his house Rachel was feeling a lot better. She had had some food and the Advil settled her pounding headache. While he washing the pancake pan and her dirty plate, Finn tried to ignore how Sam sat down next to Rachel and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him for a soft kiss. They had chosen Rachel's dress together, and it somewhat annoyed him because he had just told Rachel to pick the dress _she_ wanted…and Sam basically did the picking. He had finally just picked the dress with no sleeves…as in, everyone could see her shoulders and collar bone and…and Finn just didn't like it. He knew exactly why Sam chose that dress, because Rachel looked friggin naked in it!

Okay, so she wasn't completely naked…her arms and shoulders were naked but…ugh, why did it annoy him so much? At least Rachel got to pick a friggin color. A light pink, like, the color of those roses his mom had in the living room. There were these pearl colored beads over the waist of the dress too, at least in his mom's drawing. She was going to look so beautiful.

Sam had thanked him for looking after Rachel and Rachel apologized one more time for being mean to him (least she wasn't calling herself a bitch anymore) went downstairs to say happy birthday to Kurt and left.

The house felt entirely too quiet after Rachel had left. He needed to find something to do. Well, he guessed he should check on Puck…since he was still passed out on his bed upstairs.

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Finn tried to wake Puck up a few times. Eventually he got him to stir and that provoked Puck to hit him with a pillow. Puck also let out a slur of colorful curses and told him to let him sleep. That's what Finn got for trying to be a friend and make sure he wasn't goddamn dead or anything.

He looked at the time. His mom wouldn't be home from her spa day with Burt until tomorrow morning…so he'd have to figure out what to make for dinner. Puck would probably just sleep through the rest of the night (although he liked to wake up at, like, four AM to raid his refrigerator without asking) but if Blaine stayed he needed to make food that he and Kurt could eat too. Maybe he could just order hoagies or something.

He turned off his X-Box and set the controller down. Puck snorted as he turned over on the bed, snoring loudly into one of the pillows. Finn rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at his head before leaving his room, heading downstairs to the kitchen.

Finn passed the living room where Kurt and Blaine were cuddled up watching some Disney movie…was it _Aladdin_? He sighed and went to the kitchen. Fucking Disney movies only reminded him of Rachel.

Maybe he could make grilled cheese…

His cell phone chirped in his pocket and he pulled it out, praying it god it wasn't Quinn. And it wasn't…it was Rachel.

He frowned and brought the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Finn, its Rachel."

He smiled and shook his head. She always did that…like she didn't understand the concept that cell phones had caller I.D.

"Rachel…who?" He teased.

He heard her let out a small laugh. "Finn Hudson, you know exactly who this is!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, what's up, Rach?"

"I hope I'm not bothering you, I know it's kind of late."

Finn's eyebrows crinkled as he looked at the time. Jesus, had he been playing X-Box for the last five hours? He just kept advancing onto all these goddamn levels and before he knew it his stomach was basically eating itself in hunger.

"You're not bothering me at all." He checked the fridge for American cheese.

"I was…" He listened as she hesitated. He could hear people in the background, a telephone ringing, random beeping and car honks. "Can you pick me up at the hospital and take me home?"

He swallowed. "Sam's not taking you home?"

"I…never mind. I'm sure I can call Mercedes or something—" No one knew about her dad other than him and Sam…and he knew Rachel didn't really want to tell anyone else.

"No! No Rachel, I was just wondering." He set the cheese back in the refrigerator and looked for his car keys.

"Sam got called into work, I guess a flu is going around and like, three people called off. So he couldn't pick me up. He feels awful and of course I told him it was okay, that my dad could just take me home but…I can't bear to pull him away from daddy." Her voice got softer and softer. "He needs him so much right now."

"Say no more, I'll be there in ten." Maybe fifteen if he couldn't find his goddamn keys. He went into the living room and looked under one of the cushions near the couch.

He heard her let out a sigh in relief. "Thank you so much, Finn."

She told him which hospital her dad was at, thanked him two more times and hung up. He smiled and shook his head, finally locating his car keys near the front door (he totally didn't remember dropping them there…). He told Kurt he had something to do and that he should keep an eye on Puck and that he'd be back no later than eleven.

He left before Kurt could grill him on where the hell he was going.

0o0o0o0o

Finn pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, looking for an open space that wasn't miles away from the entrance. He guessed he could park and then drive around the front entrance so Rachel wouldn't have to walk across the goddamn continent to get to the car.

He turned his car off and pocketed his keys, getting out and locking the door. He looked around and tried to figure out where the entrance was. He went pass his car and saw the bright red lights of the hospital entrance. He jogged past a row of cars and waited for a mini-van to drive by before crossing the street.

Finn waited patiently for a nurse pushing a wheelchair out the entrance before he headed into the hospital. Finn stood kinda awkwardly in the lobby, avoiding old men with their canes and small boys in wheelchairs and nurses heading out on smoke breaks. He looked through groups of people in the waiting room for a small brunette with a passionate voice and determination in her eyes.

"Finn."

He turned around and smiled as he saw Rachel walk up to him, black elevator doors closing a few feet behind her. She had changed since the last time he had saw her at his house. She had a pair of pine green sweatpants and a black hoodie. Her hair was braided into pigtails and her sneakers squeaked across the pale white polished floor.

"Hey." He smiled and waited for her to be a few inches away from him. He never really noticed how tiny she was until she was smack against him. He felt like a giant sometimes. "How you feeling?"

She played with the bottom of one of her braids. "I'm better. My headache came back but I'm not throwing up."

He nodded and playfully tugged her other braid. It made her smile. "Good, ready to go?"

She shifted a little on her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. "I have to say goodbye to my dads. Would you…I'd like for you to say hi." She smiled softly.

Finn smiled, kinda honored she wanted him to meet her parents (well, like, re-meet them). It had been so long (least it felt that way) since he'd seen her dads, talked to them.

"I would love to say hi." She smiled widely as she took his hand and led him down the hall to her father's room.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself and trying to shake his nerves for meeting her parents all over again.

O0oo0o0o

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! Let me know how you liked it :)


	13. Chapter 13

Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter! Thanks so much for the reviews, alerts and of course for reading :D

Enjoy chapter 13!

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Chapter 13

Finn was being ridiculous. He shouldn't have been this nervous to meet Rachel's parents. It wasn't like it was even the first time or anything. He had done this before, gone through the motions of awkward silences, talking too much and sweating. Dear god, did he sweat. He thought football practice in the middle of the day, ninety-eight degrees Fahrenheit was bad but…nothing compared to talking to Rachel's parents. They were just so… Finn swallowed. Intense. He could totally tell that Rachel got most of her determination and passion from them but he also picked up hints of where Rachel's little (okay, not so little) storm offs came from and her ability to love unconditionally.

He remembered the first movie night that had been a part of in the Berry household. They had all gathered in the living room to watch a movie of Rachel's choosing (course she asked him what he wanted to watch because she didn't want him to be bored). He wasn't sure how many _times_ he had to tell her that he was never bored when he was with her. He was perfectly happy with watching anything as long as he got to hold her close and kiss her head every now and then. Because seriously…that had been the only saving factor when he had to sit through _The Notebook. _He rolled his eyes at the thought. What the hell was so romantic about two old people dying in their beds together? It was kinda depressing…maybe he just didn't get it—because Rachel had been giggling and tugging his shirt during the 'adorable romantic parts' and crying into his shirt and neck during the sad parts.

Whatever. He enjoyed the closeness of Rachel curled into his chest, half on his lap and the other half of her on the couch, a blanket covering them both. One of her hands held onto his while his right hand rubbed her back absentmindedly.

On nights like those, he swore everything was perfect between them. Her dads made buttered popcorn on the stove and Rachel always tried to feed him kernels while keeping her eyes on the TV…the popcorn always ended up against his nose or upper lip.

Finn was actually surprised that he was allowed to be that close to Rachel on the very first movie night. Her dads weren't prudes or anything and they didn't care much about PDA (Rachel was right, her dads gave cheek kisses and squeezed each other's hands when they thought not no one was looking) but he didn't think he'd have Rachel in his lap with his arms around her and a blanket over top. He didn't have a chance to put some distance between them to get on the good side with her dads because as soon as he had sat down on the couch she had crawled right on top of him, settling against his chest.

Yeah, her dads were okay with PDA but that didn't mean her dads liked Finn participating in those PDAs with _Rachel_ right in front of them. She was their little girl and he knew how protective they were of her. Mr. Leroy didn't stop glaring at him through the entire movie…Finn seriously reconsidered some of the kisses he placed on Rachel's head.

He felt Rachel squeeze his hand and he suddenly stopped, right before she could turn into her dad's room. He hadn't meant to stop so abruptly, it actually kind of jerked her off balance. She turned to look at him, frowning.

"Finn?" She was still holding his hand. Ugh she could probably feel how sweaty he was getting.

"Rach, I don't think I can do this." Fuck, that was so _not_ what he meant to say.

She swallowed and bit her lip, looking away for a brief moment before meeting his eyes again. "What?"

"I…" He shook his head. "I just mean…what if your dads hate me?"

He expected her to roll her eyes or give him one of those looks that resembled a kicked puppy or maybe even understand where he was coming from (after all, Rachel had been worried about the same thing with his mom). But instead…she laughed. He was a bit taken back and he could feel hot, pink blush spread over his cheekbones. Seriously, she was _laughing_?

"I'm—I'm sorry, Finn." He waited for her to compose herself. "I just…you're silly."

He raised his eyebrows. "I'm _silly_?"

He wanted to laugh, he could feel a smile pull at the sides of his mouth but he still felt the nervous monster eat at his stomach.

She giggled and she brought her hand up to her mouth. "Yes, you're _silly_." Now she was just mocking him. She leaned up and tapped his nose with her finger.

He smirked softly as she did so. "Okay, did you, like, steal vodka from my house or something because—?"

"Finn!" He laughed as she pushed him. He rocked back on his heels, pulling her a little bit with him since he was still holding onto one of her hands.

Rachel just shook her head. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I'm pretty sure you nearly gave Blaine a lap dance in my basement so it's not like—"

She laughed and he smiled at how much he loved the sound. "No, Finn. I'm not talking about the fact that you think I'm a vodka bandit. My dads don't hate you."

Finn bit his lower lip, his playful smile slowly fading from his face. "I just…because…" He sighed softly, looking away. She had to of _known_ this. "I broke your heart." He said simply.

Rachel swallowed and her tongue snuck out to lick her dry lips. "Well, I broke yours first."

She said it softly, as if he didn't remember…he did but that wasn't the point, he had already forgiven her. He was talking about something else. "I promised you I wouldn't break up with you."

The pain on her face from that single sentence hurt his chest, the wound was still there—buried between her rib cage and skin, a closed sore in her heart that he couldn't see. He had torn open the healing spots that were starting to form there with a simple sentence.

"And I'm sure your dads put together, like…a revenge plot against me for breaking your heart and making you cry!" He ran his hands over his face…then his eyes grew wide as he remembered what happened _after_ the movie night where Rachel had been on his goddamn lap. "Mr. Leroy said if I did anything to hurt you he would hire someone to break my legs—Rachel, I need my legs to walk and stuff!"

She smirked and squeezed both his hands. "Finn, calm down. If you keep working yourself up you're going to faint."

He _felt_ like he was going to faint. God, why did the hospital have the _heat_ on?

"My dad is not going to break your legs okay?" She smiled. "He said the same thing to Sam when I introduced him as my boyfriend." Rachel stepped closer to him and touched his arm, rubbing it softly to comfort him. "He…says it to all my boyfriends. Even though I've only had three."

She pulled her hand back and Finn frowned. Wait… "I was your first boyfriend?"

Rachel looked up at him before looking away and, fuck, he hadn't meant to embarrass her but…really? He was her first boyfriend? He didn't…he really didn't understand how that was. She was just—_so_ beautiful and talented and passionate and she had been a _great_ girlfriend (she could have loosened up and let him get to third base but…he let her touch her boobs so it was a win-win at the time). Besides, that hadn't been a key factor in what made him love her so much.

She had this great laugh that just...it felt like it hugged his entire body when he heard it, there were small freckles on her nape of her neck that looked like stars speckled in a pitch black sky—he loved placing kisses on those freckles (because it made her make this sound that was a combination of a moan and giggle). He loved that when they were dating and she had a really rough day at school, (when slushies and taunts were just too much to handle) she'd drive to his house when he was at football practice and go up to his room to curl up in his bed and wait until he came home. He had always felt so touched that she'd go to his house because she felt safe, comforted by just being in his room, waiting for him. He loved that when he came home from football practice, body tired and aching, the hot shower at school barely soothing his sore muscles—he'd find a Rachel Berry in his bed, cuddled under his blue tie-dye sheets, the TV on a random movie channel.

Finn loved that all it took was him holding her close against his chest to make them _both_ feel better.

He missed that—not her getting tortured by asshats at school or anything but…being so close to her (and not feeling like she was somehow cheating on Sam) by doing it.

"Well you know I'm not Quinn Fabray at school or anything, Finn." Rachel was looking down at her feet, running the toe of her shoe over one of the pale white tiles. "You were the first boy that ever—," Her voice got softer and softer and then she switched gears.

She picked her head up to smile at him but it wasn't the smile that he was used to. It wasn't the one that always reminded him of those toothpaste commercials…like where the people's mouths were all shiny and bright.

"To be interested in me and my talent…" She blushed softly, a beautiful, pale pink kissing her skin.

Finn reached forward and took her hand. "That's not all I was interested in, Rach. You're…you're beautiful, you know? And you have such a big heart…like, not everyone can see it. Some of the people in Glee take advantage of how nice and caring you can be."

She gave him a soft smile and looked down again. "Well, that's because I can be…" She shook her head. "Selfish sometimes. I guess it outweighs when I'm trying to be nice."

"It doesn't with me." He nodded, squeezing her hand firmly. "Everyone is selfish sometimes but when you care about someone it engulfs the other stuff."

She smiled. "Engulfs?"

"Yeah! Like I was watching _Animal Planet_ the other day and this snake just totally _engulfed_ this mouse—"

"Aw! Finn, don't tell me stuff like that!" She pouted; he wanted to run his thumb over her lower lip. "And wait…so you're comparing me to a snake that eats poor mice!"

He chuckled. "Sorry." He used his other hand and glided his fingers over his lips, pretending he was zipping his mouth shut.

Rachel smiled and reached up on her toes to unzip his mouth with _her_ fingers. His heart literally stopped beating. Her fingers were so warm and her hands smelled like warm vanilla sugar lotion. He resisted the very strong urge to kiss her fingers.

"Who was your first girlfriend?" Rachel asked. Her question was sort of quiet but he could tell she really wanted to know.

The first one that really mattered and the one he wanted to follow anywhere (to whatever college she wanted to go to in any state)? The first girl that he had actually contemplated marrying and getting out of this hick town? Following her to broadway and beyond because she was a star and he wasn't going to hold her back from that—because maybe one day he'd be good enough for her…good enough to be with her.

Well…obviously Rachel had been the first girlfriend he had ever loved so strongly—that he felt like he was somehow a part of her, and she was a part of him. But…he guessed she was talking about his _first_-ever girlfriend.

"Well, I mean, does the girl who kissed me in fourth grade count?"

"She kissed you?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I think her name was Lily. I gave her a valentine and she kissed me…I think she ended up getting suspended for that too."

Rachel smiled and looked down at his hand holding hers. "I gave Puck a valentine in second grade…he poured glue on my head."

"Aw…" He winced and frowned softly; picturing a tiny (well _tinier_) Rachel covered head to toe in glue, that lower lip wobbling on brink of tears.

His hand moved on its own accord, running it over the side of her head, nearly cupping her ear and face. He ran his thumb over her cheekbone.

Rachel smiled as Finn pulled his hand back. "You were the first boy I brought home to meet my parents."

Finn's eyebrows scrunched. "Not Jessie?"

She bit her lower lip. "He told me he didn't _do_ parents."

He rolled his eyes. "What an asshat. Your parents are great."

He smiled as it made Rachel giggle. Finn also recognized that she was a bit flattered by his comment.

"I'm glad you think so, Finn."

Finn swore he felt his heart drop out of his ass. Mr. Hiram was standing in the doorway of her dad's hospital room—staring at their entwined hands.

Finn wondered if this was the moment where he was supposed to say: this isn't what it looks like.

O0o0o0o00

Finn didn't know what he expected to see when he walked into Rachel's dad's hospital room. It wasn't like this was Finn's first visit to a hospital. Seeing Burt in that hospital bed, unconscious, not knowing if he would ever come back or not haunted him more than he liked to admit. At the time, Kurt and him weren't close (oceans apart from becoming brothers like they were now) and Burt had just been introduced into his life—but now more than ever he had become a father figure in Finn's life. And it scared him to think that at one point he had almost lost him to a heart condition. He thanked God (and sometimes grilled cheesus…just for good measure) that Burt hadn't had any issues since he left the hospital. Kurt and his mom had been on him with his diet to make sure of that.

Mr. Leroy was asleep when Finn followed Rachel into the room. The TV was on low, a woman muttering the wonders of her new salad maker on an infomercial. The strong smell of lemon cleaner and hand sanitizer filled his nose while he tried not to stare at the condition Rachel's dad was in. He was propped up in bed, circulating his arms and hands. He was hooked up to a monitor that had his heart rate and to many IV bags that were hopefully squeezing something useful in him…something that could help him fight this thing and get Rachel her dad back.

Finn went to stand out of the way—not too close to the bed because he felt like he didn't belong there and he didn't want to get in the way of any nurses that might of needed to fix anything for Rachel's dad (of all the good times to be a giant, this wasn't one of them). He felt huge in this small and crowded room. He stood closer to the side of the room, where two chairs were set up angling towards the TV. Rachel came over to stand next to him, not bothering to sit in one of the uncomfortable wooden chairs. Were those the things that she had _slept_ in some nights? No wonder she came into school miserable—Rachel was tiny but there was no way she could have curled up in those comfortably.

He felt Rachel press into his side as his eyes settled on something unnerving. Two very large lumps were sticking out of Mr. Leroy's throat. It looked like he had tried to swallow two golf balls and they got stuck—cancer, Finn realized. That was the cancer pushing at the skin on his throat. Mr. Leroy must have gotten to the point where the cancer was cutting off his ability to breathe because he was attached to a breathing machine, a long clear tube snaking up to a hole that was surgically cut in his throat. He had watched enough doctor re-runs to know what that was: a trach.

He winced and wrapped his arm around Rachel's waist, squeezing her into his side. He couldn't even imagine how it was to see her dad like this—to be suffering from a disease that was trying to take his life from him. He hadn't meant to stare but it was hard to look away. He just couldn't understand why awful things like this (cancer trying to eat its way through Mr. Leroy's skin—destroying his body cell by cell) had to happen to good people.

Mr. Hiram leaned down to press a kiss on his husbands head and Finn felt Rachel press her face into his side. He rubbed her back slowly and gently, pressing his fingers into her back, trying to give her a bit of comfort that she was trying to seek.

Rachel's dad couldn't speak with that trach in his throat—the once strong voice that taught Rachel how to sing and helped her through solos when she was little or even sang along with tears in his eyes as she belted out incredible notes…was silent. He couldn't even murmur an 'I love you'. And even though Rachel knew how much he loved and cared about her he couldn't imagine how it felt not to be able to hear her dad's comforting words—reassuring her that he'd be fine and he'd be there to help her through another solo, that he loved his little star and that he couldn't wait for the moment where he'd get to see her really _shine_ on stage.

"So, Finn."

Finn tore his eyes away to look at Rachel's other father, who was taking a seat in his chair next to his husband's bed. Mr. Hiram took Mr. Leroy's hand and squeezed it. Finn swallowed, that familiar sense of nervousness settling over him again.

"Mr. H-Hiram."

He smiled. "Relax, it's not like I'm going to ask you to name all the states and capitals," He felt Rachel's smile next to him. Finn tried to smile too but it felt stupid and distorted on his face. "Long time no talk," And that felt like a jab right to his side—like he _needed_ to be reminded of how much of a jackass he had been to Rachel these past few months. "How's your mother?"

"She's really good." He nodded. He wanted to ask how Mr. Hiram was doing and it was like a knee jerk reaction because he _knew_ he shouldn't of been asking because he could tell how he was doing. His husband was in a fucking hospital for God's sake and his daughter was an emotional mess trying to be strong for her family. "How are you?"

It slipped out before he could stop it. But nothing happened like he thought—Rachel didn't kick or elbow him and Mr. Hiram didn't glare or try to throw him out of the room.

"I'm doing as well as to be expected." Mr. Hiram said in a calm voice. "Thank you for asking Finn."

Mr. Hiram had always liked him. It was nice to see that that hadn't changed. Finn looked at Rachel to see her smiling up at him. He smiled back, slowly growing more comfortable—a lost puzzle piece falling into place.

"I'm glad to hear your mother is doing well. We'll have to get together for dinner at some point. We're…so appreciative of her going out of her way to make Rachel's prom dress."

Finn smiled. "It's no problem. My mom loves doing that kind of stuff. She'll take any excuse to get out her sewing kit. Besides…it's uh, it's us who should be making you dinner. I mean, Rachel's told me you barely have enough time to get decent food. Hospital food sucks."

Rachel bumped against his side. "To say the least."

Mr. Hiram shook his head. "No, we couldn't possibly—"

"No, I insist." Finn interrupted as politely as he could. "I know my mom would be saying the same thing. And I promise not to cook the entire dinner because…well, if I did the hospital food _would_ probably taste better."

He smiled as he heard Rachel giggle beside him. Mr. Hiram smiled at Rachel's laugh. "Thank you, Finn. That's very amiable of you."

Finn glanced at Rachel and leaned down a little to whisper close to her ear. "That's a good thing, right?"

She giggled again and Finn was happy she could find his cluelessness adorable and worth laughing over. "Yes, Finn. Amiable means kind or friendly."

He beamed. "Awesome." He was totally adding that to his brain dictionary.

Mr. Leroy started to stir in bed, which gained everyone's attention. Rachel instantly moved from Finn's side to a seat on the other side of her father's bed, facing Mr. Hiram. Finn stuffed his hands in his pockets, swaying on his feet a moment. He didn't want to sit down, he didn't want to stand there…but he didn't feel like he really belonged next to Rachel, holding her hand, watching her dad open her eyes and try to communicate (it seemed awfully like a boyfriends job). Which he wasn't. He sighed softly—the universe could stop _reminding_ him of that any time it wanted.

An ice cold chill ran down Finn's spine when Mr. Leroy's eyes connected with his. He looked like he wanted to scream—he gripped the clipboard Rachel was handing him—or maybe throw something at him.

Finn cleared his throat, that nervous and uncomfortable feeling rushing back at him in full force. "Maybe I should wait outside…"

"No," Rachel said softly, standing from her chair. "Can you—please stay?"

Finn swallowed and watched Mr. Leroy angrily scribble something onto the clipboard and hand it to his husband. Yep. His name was definitely on there and _underlined_ three times.

"Rachel, I'm not sure if your dad really wants me here." He said softly, walking towards her.

"What?" She smiled. "Don't be silly, he's—"

"Oh Leroy, don't be so absurd!"

Rachel turned to look at her fathers and her eyes gaped at the clipboard. Finn's eyebrow raised—was that…did that say something about his balls being chopped off? Oh god. He felt faint. He had been right; Mr. Leroy totally wanted to chop his parts off!

Mr. Leroy mouthed to Rachel, his face getting red with the effort. Something along the lines of… _What is he doing here Rachel Barbara Berry?_

Rachel swallowed. "Daddy, Finn and I are…are friends. He's here to drive me home."

Mr. Leroy's eyes were growing so wide Finn thought they were going to pop out of his face. He looked to his husband and scribbled down something rough and fast. Finn tried not to look at what he was writing…it was really none of his business and he should have just gotten out of there and waited for Rachel outside (where her dad couldn't murder him with a clipboard). 

_Friends my __behind__, Barbra_!

Finn remembered Rachel telling him that she could tell when her father was really forwent the whole name and just said her middle one. He saw Rachel's back tense as she obviously saw (and recognized the anger) in her father's tone when writing.

Finn shifted awkwardly as Mr. Leroy wrote something else down. Luckily he had a marker handy instead of a pencil…because seriously, he was pressing so hard he probably would have broken the goddamn thing. Why was he so upset?

_That boy has done nothing but cause you to cry all hours of the night! I will not, and I repeat, WILL NOT HAVE HIM DOING ANYTHING TO YOU._

Finn winced at the caps. Oh, _that_ was why. Guilt strangled his heart—he really, _really_ hated being the reason Rachel Berry cried.

"But…he's not! We're not doing anything! He's taking—" 

_You home!_ He mouthed. _And that's how it starts_. Mr. Leroy turned back to the clipboard and started writing again. _Then all of a sudden its long looks across the seat of his truck and then you'll be telling me he's giving you his clothes to wear—_ Well, that step had already _happened_. Finn ran his hands over his face. _And then you're spending all day at his house and then! Then, Rachel Berry, he'll be taking you into his talons—!_

"Dad!" Rachel screeched, trying to get her other father to calm Mr. Leroy down.

"Alright, Leroy, talons may be a bit much…Finn isn't a vulture. Please try to relax, sweetheart." Mr. Hiram rubbed his arm and looked at Finn, a little sympathetically.

Mr. Leroy didn't calm however and feverishly wrote something down, showing it to Finn. _If you hurt my little girl again, I will—_

"Daddy! Stop, please." Rachel tore the clipboard away from her father's hand before he could read the threat…although; from the ache in his balls Finn kind of had the idea of where he was headed.

"I won't." Finn suddenly said, speaking up, gaining everyone's attention. "I-I won't…hurt her again Mr. Berry, I promise."

Mr. Leroy rolled his eyes and nudged his husband. Mr. Hiram sighed. "I am not participating in your witch hunt, Leroy."

Leroy gave a very irritated huff (much like his daughter liked to do) and tried to reach for his clipboard but Rachel smacked his hand.

"Daddy, Finn has been a great friend. I've…I've really leaned on him the past few weeks and he's come through every step of the way."

Finn's smile grew wider as he heard Rachel stick up for him. It had really meant a lot to him when she had broken down in front of him—a small sign that she was letting him in, using him to depend and lean on for support. He had only wished that he had been there sooner (never broken up with her in fact) that way he could have held her, kissed her, drove her to the hospital and home, cheered her up and loved her when she had needed it.

"I can depend on him, daddy." He heard Rachel whisper to Mr. Leroy, gently kissing his cheek. He visibly relaxed even though his eyes were still burning holes in Finn's face.

And she could. He wasn't going to fuck up again. Not a goddamn _chance_. Finn felt a sense of pride well up in his chest—because yeah, she _could_ depend on him. And it didn't matter if her fathers believed her or not (although, it would have helped—it wasn't like Finn liked the idea of Mr. Leroy trying to chop his balls off) because _Rachel_ believed it. Rachel believed she could depend on him. And he could depend on her.

And that was all that really mattered to Finn.

00o0o0o

Sorry this took me so long to write, as you all know, this subject is very hard for me to do because of my grandfather. So any experience in that hospital room is first-hand experience. Thank you for all your reviews and for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

For some fucking reason, everytime I upload a chapter to FF. net it puts everything into one chapter. Yeah. No line breaks. What the hell? So I have to upload a chapter and then go back through and hit the space button for every paragraph. So frustrating. What the hell?

ANOTHER AUTHORS NOTE, PLEASE READ: Okay, so I purposely waited to post this at the last possible chance BECAUSE I am going on vacation from the 21st to the 28th. I wrote another chapter that I will TRY and post when I'm on vacation because I don't want to leave you guys high and dry. This was done a while ago but I wanted to wait to post it so that it was as close to my vacation date as possible. I'm going to Disney world :D thanks for all the amazing reviews and alerts as always.

O0o0o0o0o

Chapter 14

After Rachel had said goodbye to her fathers and Finn actually got a handshake from both of them (Mr. Leroy squeezed his hand with an authoritative message—which Finn got loud and clear: hurt my Rachel and I'll hurt you) they walked out of her dad's hospital room and started to the car.

Most of it was in silence, except when Finn told Rachel to wait as he put his arm out in front of her for a car to pass that she hadn't seen. It wasn't like her to not check both ways before crossing the street—like seriously, she yelled at _him_ when he didn't check.

"You okay?" He asked softly, his voice echoing concern as they crossed the street and headed to his truck. He dug his keys out of his pocket.

She wrapped her arms around herself and shrugged softly, not answering him.

He unlocked the truck and watched her crawl inside before getting in the car himself. As he closed the door, she looked out the window to her right, shivering reached for the blanket in the back and settled it over her legs.

"Thank you," She said softly, looking at him. "I'm sorry about my dad in there. I didn't expect him to react the way he did…and I told you it'd be alright, that you were just being silly…"

Finn frowned. That's what she was upset about? "Hey, it's okay." He smiled softly, trying to reassure her. He was used to it but he didn't want to tell her that. "He's just doing what dads do, he wants to protect you. And it's not like he wasn't right…I uh, I've hurt you before so…"

She shook her head. "Don't do that."

He looked at her. "Do what?"

"Blame yourself for something _I_ did."

She sniffled and rubbed her nose with the back of her wrist.

He sighed. "Rachel, how many times are we going to have to talk about this?"

She leaned back in her seat. "Just because you say it was mutual doesn't mean that I don't feel bad about it. That I still don't believe that it was my fault that we broke up!"

"I didn't tell you about Santana." Finn snapped.

"Well I was…being stupid!"

He slammed his hands on the steering wheel. "_Rachel_."

"I go from telling you that girls want sex just as much as guys do and then I'm _celibate_. I'm sure that wasn't pie for you. I know what people say about me, Finn." He could hear her tearing up just from her voice. "What they said about me when we were dating, what they still _say_."

"You think I broke up with you because we weren't having sex?" He turned his head to look at her and then angled his body to face her too. "After Quinn and the baby gate, I'd be celibi-"

"-bate." She corrected, voice quivering.

He rolled his eyes. "Celi_bate _too, alright?"

Finn knew this wasn't really what she was upset about. Well, okay…sure, kids at his school were fucking assholes. He knew what they were saying about her because he'd heard it when he was dating her. People were just cruel and quick to judge someone they didn't even know. Just because she didn't look like Quinn or put out like Santana didn't mean she was a prude…or that she was an awful girlfriend. He was a guy but he knew that sometimes a relationship meant a bit more than touching boobs. _Even though Rachel's were awesome._ All this emotion was coming from being with her dad—he briefly wondered if Sam had to deal with the same thing after picking her up (or if it was just worse this time because her dad had basically tried to throw a clipboard at him).

"And those fuckers at school don't know what the hell they're talking about.

"Rachel let out a long breath and her eyes closed, perfect curled lashes settling against pink skin. "On Friday… Taylor was saying something about Sam. And you."

Taylor? Finn leaned his shoulder against the seat and tried to think. Who the hell was she and why did she sound familiar? Oh, right! Taylor was the new cheer captain—just one of Sue's minions waiting for her spotlight. With Quinn basically out of the picture she had had her chance at being the top of the school. She was cheer captain and just as hot as Quinn—but with more popularity to back her up (especially after she realized Quinn wasn't a shoe-in for homecoming queen since she had no quarterback boyfriend anymore).

She had tried to ask Finn out more times than not after breaking up with Rachel. He declined just as many times as she asked until she stopped."She…she cornered me in the bathroom and she had heard that you broke up with me because I wasn't letting you get to third base. Or home," She let out a soft sniffle. "Whatever. I usually don't let rumors get to me like that but…" Rachel opened her eyes to look at him. The sadness there made his heart clench.

"She asked me how it felt to be a filler. Basically it's just a really mean term the cheerios came up with just for me." She laughed bitterly and Finn shook his head. "A filler is a girl that fills the gap between a guy's girlfriends. So I was a filler for you until you ended up with Quinn and—and until Sam breaks up with me to find someone better."

There was no one better than her. _No_ one. He kind of wished this Taylor was a guy because he seriously wanted to handle this whole situation with his fists. But he'd never hit a girl and that was the only goddamn thing saving her. And 'a filler'? _Really_? Those girls didn't have anything better to do then come up with stupid nicknames that made _no_ sense but were used to hurt his ex-girlfriend?He breathed out slowly as his fists clenched. He couldn't punch his truck—it already had some trouble running from time to time he didn't need to make it worse.

"She said that Sam would just end up dumping me after he found out that 'my legs were sealed shut'. I've _never_ felt so humiliated in my life, Finn. What's so wrong with being a virgin?"The pain in her voice was unbearable. He leaned forward and cupped her cheek.

"_Nothing_. Rachel, nothing is wrong with that. If I wouldn't have been such an idiot and gave into Santana-pressure, I'd still be one too. And I regret that I'm not. It just…it made me feel empty afterwards."

Her lower lip wobbled and he closed his eyes as she let out a sob. He pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, letting her push her face into his shoulder and neck and empty her tears.

This whole thing must of have been building up since Friday because it was Sunday and he hadn't known about it at all. Usually he heard stuff around school about Rachel—she was the chosen person to make fun of. But—had she told Sam about this? Had she just waited until now to tell him because they were friends? Or maybe she wasn't going to tell anyone at all. Her emotions were strung out and stretched thin; things made her a lot more upset than they should of. Maybe this was all backlash from her dad and everything going on with that. One thing escalated into another and all of a sudden Finn had a crying Rachel Berry on his chest.

Even though it was probably from that—he knew stuff like this bothered Rachel. She was always made fun of for something. For being a virgin, for not looking like Quinn or for having a 'huge nose,' for being passionate, for dressing 'weird' or talking too fast. It was no wonder she didn't want anyone to know about her dads at school. They would friggin eat her alive.

And he hadn't been lying to her when he said he had regretted having sex with Santana. Not only had it been rushed and done for the wrong reasons, it had messed up everything between them. Broken them up. He had wanted it to be something special—what had Rachel said in her room that one time? Saving it for eachother? Yeah, he had wanted wished he could have saved it for Rachel.

Because it would have been something special with her—because _she_ was special.

"Those people know nothing about you." He said softly, rubbing her back and placing a soft kiss on her head. He pulled back and cupped her face, running his thumbs over her cheeks. "Is all this just from what Taylor said?"

She sniffled and looked up into his eyes, dark coffee brown searching his pale cinnamon ones. She shook her head and looked down, not pulling away—letting her face relax into his hands cupping her face.

"B-before we left, my dad whispered to me that the doctor had come in earlier when we were talking in the lobby and said—daddy was getting worse. The tumors in his neck aren't shrinking…Finn. I don't know what to do." Her voice getting faster and more hysteric, tears in her eyes and sobs building up in her chest. "I can't lose my daddy, I just _can't_."

She collapsed against his body, heart wrenching sobs spilling from her (harder than before, when she had first told him about her dad being sick). These were different—desperate, scared…painful (the kind of sad where someone else could _feel_ it. The kind that just ripped someone up from the inside out).He didn't know what to do; there was literally _nothing_ he could do to help her. He wrapped himself around her, held her as close as he could in the small space. She curled into him like a chair folding in on itself. Her hands bunched his shirt up and he felt her nose dip in the space between his chest and arm.

There had to be something that could help Rachel and her family. Fuck, anything. Santana's dad was a doctor right? Like…a real good one. Finn bit his lip. He couldn't tell Santana about Rachel's dad though, could he? Could he trust her? What could her dad even do? Everything cost money—A large and bright light bulb went off in Finn's head.

What if—he went to Mr. Schue. He was trustworthy and he listened when any of the glee kids had problems (he was almost better then Miss Pillsbury sometimes). Maybe if he told Mr. Schue about Rachel's dad, the glee club could hold a bake sale (a top secret one with a code name so no one knew what it was really for! Like they could say it was for another glee fieldtrip and then use the money to help Rachel's dad…get Santana's father to look him over).Well of course he'd have to make sure Santana's dad was a cancer doctor first…but then he could ask Mr. Schue. The glee club liked Rachel—well cept for Quinn but other than that they'd be into helping her (because deep down, even though all of them thought she was annoying and that she hogged the spotlight—they all knew Rachel was a good person with a big heart and that she'd help any of them in a heartbeat if they needed something).

Finn could do this. He wanted and needed to do this for her. Sam could help co-captain it all and keep Rachel from finding out until he was sure it would work but…he needed to do something. He was tired of standing by while Rachel sobbed her heart out so helplessly. She barely had time to go to work with school and the hospital—any extra money would help. So even if Santana's dad couldn't help there would be extra money for her and her was the least he could do and sometimes that was more than enough.

He waited until she stopped crying to pull away. She looked completely worn out and sad—and yet she still managed to look so beautiful. He cupped her cheek and stroked the tear tracks off her had to do this for her; after all, _shouldn't you do anything you can for the person you love?_"

You might not remember earlier today and some of the things you said but…you told me you loved me."

Rachel's eyes widened an instant before a dark red blush covered her cheeks. "_Oh_." She murmured, her voice thick with unshed tears. _I guess when it comes to a sick parent you just can't cry enough. _

He smiled softly, tapping her nose with his finger. "You gonna try and take it back?"

She shook her head and a small smile tugged at the edges of her lips. "No, I wouldn't do that. I do love you…I probably always will." She bit her lip. "What did you say back?"

Finn leaned closer to her. "Let's just say that it's two way street, okay?"

"You're…not mad?" She asked, unsure.

Why would he be mad? He wasn't the one who had a boyfriend while she declared druken (and now sober) love confessions to her ex.

"I'm not mad." He told her, taking her hand and squeezing it. "I love you too Rachel," She looked up into his eyes, swallowing. "I never stopped."

She swallowed thickly and looked down, sniffling. "Why are you telling me this now? When I'm—"

"I just want you to know how I feel. The truth." Finn licked his lips. "I'm not…I don't want there to be any more lies between us. This friendship is so important to me." He squeezed her hand again. "I meant what I said to your dad, I'm not going to hurt you again."

"You can't promise that." She sounded bitter.

"Not hurting you on purpose? That I _can_ promise." He reassured her, shaking her hand."I just…I wanted you to know that when you were drunk you said stuff to me, you wanted me to kiss you. And I wanted to. I could of…but I didn't. And you have no idea how hard that was."

She bit her lip so hard. It looked like she was trying to make it bleed. "I'm sorry I put you in that position to compromise our friendship."

"I just wanted you to know."

Rachel looked up at him and smiled softly. "Thank you for not taking advantage of me."

He smiled and bit his tongue on telling her that she had made it goddamn difficult because all drunk Rachel Berry wanted to do was take her clothes off.

"And thank you for telling me the truth." She nodded. "About how you feel. I-I appreciate it and…I told you once that I'd always be honest with you so—I'm with Sam. I really like him a lot." Rachel sighed softly and swiped tear tacks off her other cheek with the hand that wasn't holding his.

"I want to be with him." She squeezed his hand this time and leaned forward to place a kiss on his forehead. He closed his eyes as he felt her lips touch his skin.

So much for that no lying thing. Her lips were saying one thing, but her eyes and that kiss were telling him the truth.

0o0o0o0o0

Finn could never understand how traffic could build up in such a small place. They had left her dad's room over twenty five minutes ago but were still trying to get out of the friggin parking lot. Cars were stretched in a long line for as far as Finn could see.

He sighed and checked his right mirror before turning the car. He drove for about a minute before he hit another cluster fuck of traffic. What the hell had happened that was causing the backup? He would have turned left and drove out of hospital parking lot's other entrance but he'd have to go in the opposite direction of Rachel's and his house. He knew Lima pretty well but it was dark and he was _not_ going to take the chance of getting them lost.

So he stayed in the traffic—it'd have to move leaned his head back against the seat, glancing at Rachel. She had been texting someone for the past ten minutes (he guessed Sam since she barely texted anyone other than her dads and Kurt). She closed her phone and turned her head to look at him, giving him a small smile.

"I'm sorry about before."

Finn frowned. "For what?"

She bit her lip and turned her body to face him, pulling the blanket up over her stomach. "For the…Niagara falls that I unleashed on your chest slash neck."

He chuckled. "I don't mind. That's what friends are for, right? Besides, better out than in."

"Yeah, except I keep…doing that to you, I just feel bad that you have to support my emotional baggage." She said softly, playing with a fray in the blanket.

If he had given her any inkling that he was annoyed by her crying on him then he hadn't meant to. Sure, he hated when she cried (that was obvious) but if she needed to, he wanted to be there for her. It was better for her to cry against him then do it alone, thinking she had no one to vent to. He wondered if she ever emotionally exploded to Sam (okay, so that was a _really_ bad description that he'd keep to himself)…he was her boyfriend after all.

"Hey, did I say that I had a problem with that?"

She smiled slowly. "No."

He nodded. "Exactly, so get those kinda thoughts out of your pretty head, okay?"

She giggled and leaned back against the seat. "Fine."

Rachel was silent a few more minutes before she sighed.

Finn shook his head at the traffic and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, this traffic blows."

She shrugged. "I have nowhere to be, it's not a big deal."

"Sam isn't waiting for you at home or anything?"

She bit her lip. "He was texting me that he had just gotten off work but I told him I'd probably be getting home very late because of the traffic so he's just going to head home and get some sleep."

Finn groaned. "I forgot about sleep—" She interrupted him with a laugh and he shook his head, smiling playfully at her. "I meant I forgot we had school tomorrow and everything. Feel free to get some shut eye here, my truck is comfy."

She beamed. "Yes! It's a very comfy truck, besides, I have a blanket too."

He smirked. "Yeah, and I know you need the sleep."

Her smiled faded slowly and nodded, biting her lower lip again. "Do you think my dad is going to be okay?"

Finn moved up a little in traffic and heard a car honk. He checked his rearview mirror before looking at her. He slowly took her hand into his and gave it a small squeeze.

"I hope so, Rachel, I really do." She smiled softly and squeezed his hand back. "All I know for sure is that your dad is strong," He smiled and gently tapped her nose with his finger. "Just like you. So he's gonna fight this thing as hard as he can. All we gotta do is have some faith in him."Rachel smirked softly.

"When did you get so good at saying the right things?"

"I took a class." He joked. "Wrote down some notes and BAM, I'm a natural."He winked and she giggled, gently pushing him away as traffic moved forward.

He moved the car up as well, checking his dashboard for how much gas he had in the tank. It was a little low but he should have had enough to get home and everything but with this traffic—who knew. Maybe he could stop at a gas station if he saw one.

Finn kind of understood maybe a percentage of what traffic was like in major cities. They hardly had anything heavy in Lima…and if they did it was cleared up within an hour. Major cities however like Los Angeles or New York always had heavy traffic. He didn't understand how people dealt with it.

He rubbed the back of his neck. _New York._ He sighed softly, what the hell were they going to do about performing in New York?

"We have to talk to Mr. Schue about changing Quinn at Nationals. You _have_ to sing Rachel; you're the best we've got."

He still didn't understand why she hadn't spoken up that day in glee. He knew she was focused on her father and lack of sleep but…he knew she loved the spotlight, and not even that but he knew how much she loved the glee club. She couldn't have wanted them to lose. And that's what was going to happen if they let Quinn sing as their female lead. She was talented but…she was no Rachel Berry.

"Quinn's…not that bad." Rachel said softly.

Finn luckily had the opportunity to just stare at her. He didn't understand where she was going with that. "Yeah, she's not that bad but…compared to you she kinda borderlines awful."

She blushed at the compliment but bit her lip nervously. "She already hates me…"

"And you think letting her sing is going to change that?"Rachel swallowed and looked down at her hands—okay, obviously she had thought that. _Way to go, Hudson._

He sighed. "She doesn't hate you because of your voice."

Rachel laughed. "Right. Everyone hates me for my voice, Finn."

He smirked as he saw a little bit of the old Rachel shine through—the one that was so passionate and talented that it kind of rubbed people the wrong way. But she was right. She was amazing and everyone knew it—that's where the hate all came from.

But this wasn't about her voice. "She hates you because you have me."

He looked back to the road and moved up in the traffic, beeping the horn at an asshole that was stopping short and almost made Finn tail-end him. He could feel Rachel's eyes on him but he couldn't look over at her.

He didn't expect her to say anything to that. He just wanted to be honest with her. She had him in a way that Quinn could never have. Or any girl for that matter.

He just wanted to make that clear.

0o0o0o0o0o

Okay, so! I have a chapter already written and will update on my vacation :) (Hopefully mid-vacation, around the 25th or 26th if I have downtime! I come home on the 28th). Thank you to everyone who reads and reviews!


	15. Chapter 15

Greetings from Disney :) Thanks to everyone who left me reviews and alerts! This is the last update until I can come home and write more :) So enjoy! Beware, its angsty ;)

O0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 15

Traffic inched forward for the past hour and Finn finally turned the truck onto Molovo Street. There must have been some sort of car accident near where they were to cause this sort of back-up. He just hoped everyone involved was okay.

Finn sighed and leaned back into his seat. At least they were only ten minutes away from Rachel's house. He looked over at Rachel, who was fumbling with the radio dial, trying to find a good station. He wished he would have left all her CDs in here from when they were dating. Her favorite one had been the _Wicked_ soundtrack…and he was pretty sure he knew all the words to "For Good" because of it.

He noticed a bright yellow sign to his right as he looked out the window. "Hey, did you know that the James Grocery was putting together a carnival?"

Rachel turned and looked out his window. "A carnival, really? Like with a Ferris wheel and stuff?"

Finn shrugged. "I dunno. I just saw the sign—" He trailed off as he saw the running dates of the carnival. Today. They were open from today till next week. Tonight was the first night of the carnival and it was open till midnight. "Dude, let's go!"

He turned to look at her and her eyes widened. "What? To-tonight? Right now?"

He grinned. "Yeah! Come on, we're stuck in traffic anyways. And I promise I will get you home before midnight—"

"Midnight! Finn, it's a school night."

He pouted. "I know, but…but there's cotton candy and I'll buy you a funnel cake!"

She smiled softly. "I love funnel cake…but," She bit her lip in thought. "You don't have to and what about Sam, Finn?"

Finn swallowed. As much as he wanted this idea to become a date (and the prospect of kissing her on the Ferris wheel—_I need to stop watching re-runs of The OC_) he knew it couldn't be.

"It's not a date. Promise. I just—I want to take you to a carnival. You need to relax and you need to have some fun! Besides, how are you going to pass down funnel cake and the opportunity for me to win you another stuffed animal that you don't need?"

She giggled and bit her lip, he knew she was straddling the line of wanting to go and needing to go home and call Sam. He hoped that little slip of him declaring his love for her wasn't going to sway her decisions or how she acted around him. He had just wanted to be honest with her (no more lying, _ever_) and she needed to know that he was going to be there for her, no matter what because _love_ was his reason.

"Okay, let's go. You're right, I need to relax…and I need another stuffed animal for my bed. A bunny preferably."

Finn grinned and turned his car to the right, heading out of the traffic and down the street to the carnival.

This was going to be the best non-date that he'd ever have.

0o0o0o0o0

Rachel giggled loudly. "You have powdered sugar all over your nose."

Finn brought his hand up and tried wiping it off but apparently he got even more on his face because her eyes grew wide and a fit of laughs escaped her pretty, pink lips.

She brushed her hand on a napkin and brought it up to his face, stroking his cheek and tapping the sugar off his nose.

"You actually have a bit on your face too."

She frowned and patted her face with a napkin. "Where?"

The pads of his fingers had been stroking his plate, picking up spare particles of powder. He quickly flicked his fingers—his pointer, middle and ring sliding quickly against his thumb, covering her face in cloudy patches of powdered sugar.

He smirked as she gasped. "Everywhere."

"Finn Hudson!"

They had been walking slowly with their funnel cakes, eating them as they walked through the carnival—dodging running children with balloons and stuffed animals as big as their bodies. The place was packed with people, mostly families—the sounds game noises, bells, laughs and screaming children on rides filled their ears. Strands of bright carnival lights were stretched across the grocery parking lot, igniting the area around them and attracting mosquitoes galore. Finn didn't mind much though. Because he was with Rachel and she was giggling and getting powdered sugar all over her face as she ate her funnel cake and he had managed to get even _more_ on her when he had flicked his fingers.

He hadn't expected her to propel her tiny body into his. She had literally thrown away her empty paper plate and rammed her body into his in a huge tackle-hug in one fast motion. He laughed loudly and wrapped his one arm around her, hugging her into his side.

And just for a moment, he pretended that it was an actual date and that she was his girlfriend again—cuddling into him as wind whipped through the parking lot.

Just for a moment.

0o0o0o0

"It's either this or the Ferris wheel."

"Why are you doing this to me?" Rachel whined, trying to pull Finn in the direction of the car.

He chuckled as her pulling didn't even affect him, his body stayed in the exact same spot. "Because you promised me we'd do one of these two things. I won you a bunny rabbit so you have to do it."

She huffed and stomped her foot, letting go of his letterman jacket to cross her arms over her chest. "I don't have to do anything I don't want to, Finn. I can go to the car and just wait for you."

"You could but that would be mean and hurt my feelings. Especially since I drove you here, bought you cotton candy and funnel cake _and_ won you a bunny named Frankferd."

"His name is _Frankelton_."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever." What kind of person named a bunny _Frankelton_? Oh Rachel, that's who. "You need me to drive you home and unless you wanna walk home in the dark you need to pick one."

Her eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare leave me alone to walk home!"

He grinned slowly at her. Right, he wouldn't. But she didn't necessarily know that. "Pick one."

Rachel pouted, clutching onto her pink bunny. "Fine. The Ferris wheel," Her nose crinkled. "The bumper cars are simple _barbaric_."

Finn chuckled and walked with her to stand in line for the Ferris wheel. He was surprised the James' had had enough cash to pull together to even order a bumper car arena let alone a Ferris wheel.

Rachel stepped in front of him and looked up at the Ferris wheel. It was an old fashioned one, like instead of seats it had compartments—they were big enough to seat at least four people in one. He thought maybe that this would relax Rachel a little bit because it wasn't like they were gonna be out in the open like a normal Ferris wheel. Since it was a more enclosed area Finn felt like she'd feel better since she didn't like heights.

"I don't think this Ferris wheel is up to safety codes." Rachel muttered as she watched the machine creek with effort to move in a circle. It stopped momentarily, the cubicles swinging a little as the two men working the machine loaded people on and off.

He smirked. "What, you keep the manual in your back pocket or something?"

She bit her lip as she turned around to look at him. "No, but…but it looks unsafe."

"Rachel, I highly doubt that the James' would put up a Ferris wheel if they didn't think it'd be safe to the public of Lima."

"But accidents happen!"

He shrugged. "Yeah, they do. But you can't go through life all scared about accidents that _might_ happen—you'll never go anywhere!" She chewed on her lower lip. "Look, how many times have you been scared right before you've preformed in front of a large crowd?"

She shook her head. "I'm never scared, I'm nervously _enthralled_."

He chuckled because, right, of course that'd be her answer. "Right, okay. Let's take me for example then. I'm always scared before performing. Even though I've done it enough times and practiced, I'm afraid I'll forget the words. But accidents that could happen don't stop me from going out there and giving it my all."

She smiled softly as he continued talking, playing with one of Frankelton's ears.

"The show…has to go all over the place or whatever, right?"

She giggled. "Right."

She bumped into his side and leaned back into him a little as the Ferris wheel started up again, going round and round.

"You gonna be okay up there?"

Rachel looked at him and smiled. "What do you mean?"

He had no idea why she was pretending that she wasn't afraid when he knew she was. She needed to stop being so strong all the time. "I know you're afraid of heights, Rach. I remember the last time I took you to that amusement park you spent the whole time clinging to me in that roller coaster line."

He wasn't going to admit to her that he actually really liked when she had done that. It was a hot summer night but it didn't matter because Finn Hudson had an amazing girlfriend who needed him and who the hell was he kidding—he would have hugged her close and tight to him on the surface of the _sun_ if need be.

"I'm perfectly fine, Finn." She moved away from him a little as if to prove her point.

He had no idea why she was trying to deny it but he let her go. Sure, she was calm right now—but they weren't on the Ferris wheel yet.

O0o00o0

"Rachel? Uhm, I'm sorry. If I would have know you were going to be this terrified up here I wouldn't have—"

He tried to pull away from her to look at her face but she panicked, pulling him closer to her in the booth. "No!" She squealed. "Don't move."

"Okay, okay." Finn soothed. "Relax, I'm not going anywhere."

She nodded softly, wrapping her arms around him in the small compartment in the Ferris wheel.

Rachel had been actually happy when they had gotten the bright pink booth… and then the guy opened the small door for Rachel and him to get in and she looked like she was going to have a heart attack.

She had gotten in the cart all fine and dandy (well she was tiny and petite so it was easy for her) but Finn had to hunch over and squeeze his tall and awkward body into the small space. He sat down in the booth and Rachel instantly slid over and attached herself to him as the guys working the Ferris wheel closed the compartment door and locked it. Finn looked out one of the windows at the parking lot as the ride started to move, taking them up higher and higher.

He could feel Rachel's heart beat against his chest and it was patting fast and hard as the ride creaked and moaned, moving round and round in its circular motion. Finn ran a hand through her hair and smirked softly to himself. This had to be, like, the best idea _ever_. Rachel was snuggled up against his chest by her own choice—and not because she was sad or whatever but because she wanted to be (yeah, he was totally going to ignore that the only reason she was probably doing this was because she was scared to death of heights).

"I could kill you for making me get on this thing."

Finn chuckled at her muffled voice against his shirt.

"How? You can't even open your eyes to look at me. Unless you're a ninja I think I'm safe."

He felt her smile against him. "I could be and you'll never know until I strike!"

He snorted. "Right."

He looked down at her. Her face was buried in his chest, almost between his arm and side. Her arm was around his waist, squeezing him every so often as the Ferris wheel jerked. Her one leg was under his, the top of her kneecap connected to the underside of his knee.

"You need to get over this fear of heights Miss Berry. If you go to New York how are you going to stand on top of the Sears Tower?"

She laughed. "I think you mean the Empire State Building, Finn."

He blushed. "Oh, right."

"And who said I wanted to stand on top of the Empire State Building? There are other things that I'm going to New York for—"

"Yeah, but I heard that's like, one of those things you're _have_ to do before you die." S

he laughed but he could tell it wasn't because she found anything funny—she was nervous. "Well I can't be one of those people. I have far more important things to worry about than standing on the Empire State building."

"Come _on_, I know you want to. You love everything about New York and you're not gonna let your fear of heights stop you from experiencing everything are you?"

Finn tilted Rachel's chin until her face was looking at his. Her eyes were still closed and she swallowed. "Open your eyes and look out outside."

Rachel shook her head. "No…I can't Finn."

He looked down at her lips and licked his own. Fuck, now would have been the perfect time to kiss her. He swallowed the urge and cleared his throat. "Yes, you can. I know you. You can…" He smiled, lovingly. "You can do anything." He said softly, his voice full of love and confidence.

She opened her eyes at that, searching his. He smiled as he saw those perfect coffee brown eyes look into his.

"Told you." He smiled at her, his thumb stroking the underside of her chin.

She smiled softly and a pink blush swept over his cheeks. She tilted her head down a little until his thumb snuck out from under her chin and his stomach flipped as the pad of his thumb touched her plump lower lip.

That…that wasn't _friendly_ at all. He didn't understand how she could expect him to believe that she wanted to be with Sam, completely and honestly, when she turned around and did things like _that_. Sure, it could have been an innocent mistake but he knew it wasn't. Her friggin lip was against his skin and all of a sudden his face was going closer to hers and before he knew it he was kissing her. On the fucking Ferris wheel. Goddamnit, he was _Ryan Atwood_.

The kiss was short lived, not only because the Ferris wheel had stopped the let them off but because Rachel had pulled back as soon as their lips met and smacked him across the face. Hard.

The sound of her hand hitting his skin echoed in his ears. His could feel a definite stinging hand-print on his face—the skin tingling and growing red. The guys working the Ferris wheel were snickering and staring at his shocked face.

Rachel scurried out of the cart and down the ramp to the pavement, not even waiting for him before she took off into the crowd of people. He tried to rush to get out of the goddamn compartment that was like a dollhouse with how tall he was but he got stuck trying to fit through the small door.

"Rachel, wait!" He managed to squeeze through as Rachel ran through the parking lot of people back to where all the cars were parked. Finn jogged through a sea of people and probably knocked over some small children as he tried to get to Rachel before she hitched a ride from a stranger or worse, called Sam before he could try and talk with her.

"Rachel, stop, please?" He caught up with her and tried to touch her shoulder but she whirled around and hit his chest. _Jesus_, she had strong hits for such a little person.

"Don't Finn. Just _don't_!" Angry tears began to cloud her eyes. "I can't believe you. I trusted you and—"

"I told you how I felt!" He exclaimed, cutting her off…course he shouldn't have said that like it was an excuse, like it explained everything. Because it didn't.

"That doesn't excuse you from anything! I told _you_ I had a boyfriend who I wanted to be with!"

"That is a load of _crap_." He yelled before he could stop himself.

Rachel's face contorted into a sea of emotions. It went from shocked, to hurt, offended and then shifted to a mess of ten other feelings at once.

"No, it isn't." She said softly. He had obviously hurt his feelings but he was so friggin mad at her that he couldn't find room to care.

"Yes, it _is_." He stepped closer to her. "Why are you doing this? I know how you feel about me, how you've _always_ felt. You have feelings for me and are just…too afraid to admit it." He honestly wondered if she remembered those same words being thrown at him—it seemed like forever ago.

Her lower lip wobbled as a tear escaped her eye, trailing down her cheek. "My dad was right. I should have never depended on you. You're only here for one thing!"

Hearing her say that hurt more than he could express. Because that wasn't _true_ and how could she even think that? He had made one fucking mistake! A heat of the moment mistake and suddenly that defined all that he had been doing for her. Holding her and helping her out at work and making sure her drunk ass didn't choke on her own vomit and talking her through things when she cried and supporting her and he watched her be with that _Sam Evans_ and had kept his mouth shut, he had even supported _Samchel_ even though it had hurt him to do so!

Anger boiled up in his veins and he exploded…and unfortunately Rachel was right in the crossfire. "How could you even _say_ that to me?" He screamed. "I have been nothing but there for you ever since I found out about your dad!"

Finn felt guilt pull at his stomach as he saw her flinch at his words but his anger and the large amounts of hurt in his heart outweighed it quickly.

"All because I genuinely care about you! And don't even pretend for a minute that you're innocent in that mistake, because you're not."

She shook her head, a sob escaping her lips; she put her hand over her mouth and went to the other side of the truck. He followed her. "Just t-take me home."

"Because when you're not crying over your dad, you're taking your clothes off at my house or giving me small kisses or hugging me or feeding me cookies or dancing in short fucking skirts or telling me you _love me_!" That last part turned into a shout and Rachel turned to look at him wide-eyed.

He panted softly, trying to catch his breath. He shook his head softly—that had been building up for far too long with nowhere to vent. And he hadn't meant to do that—to unleash all that on her. He just…he had been so _mad_ when she said that he had basically been there for her to get back together with her. Sure, he had wanted that—wanted to be with her so bad that it physically hurt sometimes. But that hadn't been his main reason or a hidden motive. He wanted to be there for her because he cared about her—he loved her. But he didn't want to break her up with Sam.

God damn he was just so stupid sometimes. He let himself get caught up in the moment with her and his lips and dick had a mind of their own. Not to mention he had some flaws… (other than being a complete moron) he had a short temper. But he had _never_ flat out yelled at Rachel before.

Guilt started eating at him as his pulse calmed down. God, what had he just done?

He'd stepped over a line, he could tell just by how Rachel was looking at him. Her eyes were wide with tears and her lower lip was wobbling—she actually looked like she was scared of him as she leaned into the truck door.

Finn swallowed and couldn't even _try_ to say anything to her.

"Just take me home." She said, choked up. She opened the door and got into the truck, slamming the door.

All Finn could do was stand there.

O0o0o0o

According to the radio, three bikers had collided with a mini-van five minutes away from his house and that's why there had been so much back-up traffic. Finn had left the grocery parking lot in the opposite direction of his and Rachel's house. He thought maybe if he went the back way (which, okay, took longer) he wouldn't run into any traffic.

The only bad thing about taking the short cut was that…it wasn't really short at all. The back way had Finn driving through Settlers Forest. And it wouldn't have been that bad if the goddamn streets had streetlamps or straight even roads. Settlers Forest was basically for joggers on nice days, there were paths for them throughout the forest. He sighed and turned right and went down the road, turning his high beams on.

Rachel was basically silent next to him, though he could hear her breath hiccup every so often. He turned his head to look at her but it was too dark to see her. The high beams reflected into the car a little so he could see the outline of her body. She was looking out her window, Finn guessed she was crying.

"Rachel?" He tried, softly.

"Don't Finn; I don't want to talk to you." She sniffled and he reached into the glove box and tried to hand her a tissue.

She took it and blew her nose, stuffing the used tissue into her sweatpants pocket.

He couldn't believe himself—he was so fucking ashamed. _Not even three hours after I promised her that I wouldn't hurt her on purpose and what do I do? I yell and scream at her and hurt her so bad that she doesn't even want to speak to me. What is __wrong__ with me?_

He sighed, rubbing his temples with his left hand, keeping his right hand on the wheel as he drove.

"I know, after what I said I wouldn't want to talk to me either. I just, I'm—"

"Finn, please," Her voice quavered. "Just stop, okay?"

Before Finn could try to apologize to her again the truck stalled. His head whipped back around to look at the road in front of him. He hadn't run over a tree branch or anything like that but the truck moaned and made a persistent clicking noise as Finn tried to turn it to park to the side of the road. He scoffed as he looked at the dashboard.

Rachel's back stiffened as she turned to look at him. The complete darkness from the woods outside was creeping her out, he could just tell. He flipped on the light in the truck and turned his keys to shut the engine off.

"What are you doing? What's going on?" She asked, turning in her seat a little to look behind her and then at him.

"We're out of gas." Finn shook his head. He didn't even need to check his phone to know that he didn't have a signal with all these trees around.

It looked like Rachel would have some time to start talking to him again—because the gas station was miles away.

O00o0o00o

Hope everyone enjoyed! Yeah its angsty but whatever, it's just going to be all the more epic when they get together…which should be in the next few chapters or so! Try to understand that Finn as a normal guy, you know? Everyone gets annoyed when Finn fucks up but people, he's only human. And he's not the brightest bulb when it comes to his emotions or something he really wants. He's allowed to make mistakes and he has some flaws. But the point is Rachel does love him so…they can get past it.

Not many more chapters left so (I'm not sure how many I'm doing but I want to say a good ten? Maybe less are left),

Thank you for all the amazing reviews and alerts! I'll see you all at home, wish me a safe trip! Will get writing as soon as I settle back at home :)


	16. Chapter 16

Back from vacation :) thanks for all the reviews, adds, and alerts everyone! I really appreciate it! Winding down, I'm not sure how many more chapters are left. If I go by what I said on the last chapter, ten seems like a good number but there may be less. So, please enjoy :)

ANOTHER NOTE: once again, I stayed up till like four am to finish this to post it last night and what happens that ALWAYS friggin happens? Fanficdotnet had another friggin tantrum and wouldn't let me upload documents. Ugh. Sorry for the delay, please enjoy!

0o0o0o0

Chapter 16

_"We're out of gas." Finn shook his head. He didn't even need to check his phone to know that he didn't have a signal with all these trees around._

"You don't keep an extra container in the back somewhere?" Rachel asked, almost accusingly. She turned to look behind her seat.

He tried not to be irritated with her. "No, Rachel, no extra container of gas." He took the keys out of the ignition and the truck was plunged into darkness.

Finn reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a flashlight, turning it on. Rachel had inched closer to him when the lights had gone out; her knee was now bumping against his thigh. If he hadn't been so annoyed with himself for not filling up the tank when he had first realized the truck was low and angry for completely destroying his relationship with Rachel he might have relished in the closeness.

"I am disappointed in your unpreparedness, Finn Hudson." He sighed as she continued. "You have a blanket and a flashlight and I'm sure an extra tire as well…how do you not have an extra container of gas?"

"Well for one, because its expensive and two, the blanket is only in here because of _you_."

She threw the blanket at him and it landed half on his head and half on his shoulder. He shoved it into the back and opened the door.

"We have to go to the gas station and get gas to bring back."

Rachel's eyes widened. "You mean…walk in the dark to a gas station million miles away with a small flashlight?" She slid over to where he was sitting when he got out of the truck. "Wait, Finn, what if we get lost…?" She asked hastily. "What if get eaten by bears?"

He laughed at that one. "Rachel, we're not going to get eaten by bears. The gas station is probably ten minutes away if we walk."

"I'm staying here. Maybe I can call a tow truck…"

"Oh, does your phone have a signal?" He asked a bit sarcastically; he knew it didn't. Her blush three seconds later confirmed it. "Right, so come on."

"No." She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into the seat.

He sighed. He wasn't in the mood for this pouty-kindergarten-temper-tantrum-Rachel. "I'm not leaving you in this truck by yourself."

"So I guess we'll be sleeping in your truck then."

He rolled his eyes. "Like Sam will be okay with that."

She scoffed. "I am not telling him anything about the _debacle_ that was tonight."

Finn swallowed thickly, hurt by her comment. He wasn't sure what a debacle was, but he could gather that it wasn't anything good. She said the word with such…disgust. How could she think that tonight was awful? Sure, yeah, that kiss hadn't been good at all. Dumbass and crummy move on his part. But it had been a total accident. But everything up till then had been…good, at least he thought it had been. He had gotten her cotton candy and funnel cake and helped her through bad news about her dad and, God, everything had been so fucking _good_. Why did he have to keep messing everything up?

"Come on, Rachel. Please?" He hoped didn't sound as hurt ash he felt. "I'll carry you myself if I have to. Get out."

"Or what? You'll yell at me again?"

He winced softly, her jab stabbing his center. He had hurt her feelings...worse than ever before. He really didn't know how he was going to come back from this fuck up.

"I know," He said softly. "And I'm very, _very_ sorry. There's nothing more I can say."

"You've never yelled at me before." Rachel admitted softly. "Even when there were times when I know you've been mad at me. I make people mad too easily…sometimes I like to think it's because people are jealous of my talent but…I know I'm annoying."

She looked down at her lap and softly bit her lower lip. Finn shook his head and wanted to take her hand but he decided he shouldn't. Touching her seemed to get him in a lot of trouble.

"You're not annoying," He said firmly. "Hey."

She looked up at him, her lower lip wobbling just a little. He knew this was a sore subject for her. He remembered her telling him a few times that people just didn't like her. Normally he'd go into how those people were assholes and that they didn't know what the fuck they were talking about. The one time she had mentioned it when they were dating he had swooped her up in his arms and kissed her, making her forget about her silly, nonsense insecurities. Because that's exactly what they were; _nonsense_. She shouldn't have cared what people thought about her. She and he both knew she was amazing. And that was all that really mattered. Those podunk losers and their jealous, harsh words were not going to mean anything in two to three years time. He knew the truth.

Rachel Berry was a star. As shiny and perfect as her glittery star stickers that she stuck on basically every surface.

Finn shook his head. "You are _not_ annoying, okay?"

Rachel let out a short breath through her lips as a lone tear strolled down her pink cheek.

It was so goddamn hard not to be able to reach out and comfort her but he couldn't still have that privilege…and he didn't want to make things worse.

Finn licked his lips and sighed softly. "I'm going to hug you now, please don't punch me."

He smiled as she gave a soft laugh, leaning her body towards him. He enveloped her small frame into his broad chest.

Finn squeezed her softly before letting go. He shouldn't have been comforting her…he was pretty sure she was still mad at him and it wasn't like he wasn't upset with her either. But…not hugging her when she needed or at least making her feel better just made him feel like a jackass. Even more so then how he was feeling already. Besides, not being there when she needed him was selfish of him—especially if he did it just to make her feel worse. And he didn't want that. No matter how hurt he was by her recent comments.

"Come on, I want to make it to the gas station before it gets too late. I still have to take you home before your dad drives back."

She hopped down from the truck. "I don't think my dad is going home tonight. So it's just me at the house. So we can take our time…make sure we don't get lost in the woods."

He chuckled. "This wooded area you're so scared of is a park. There are signs and trails everywhere. Besides, it's small. We'll make it through to the gas station in…probably ten minutes."

Rachel smiled up at him a nodded softly. "If you say so."

He licked his lips once, resentment building up in his chest and overtaking the smile that he was going to give her in return.

"Right, I forgot…I'm undependable." He stated dryly, remembering those cold words she threw at him in the carnival parking lot.

"Finn…" She tried softly but he shook his head, directing the flashlight down the street.

"Just forget it." He mumbled, heading in the direction of the gas station.

Rachel followed silently behind him.

O0o0o0

"I didn't mean what I said before…about you not being dependable? I mean, you've been through this with me since the beginning and I guess I was just upset and it was _deplorable_ of me to—"

Finn sighed and turned his ears off. Well, at least he tried to. How could he forget that Rachel got so chatty when she felt like control was slipping through her fingers? And obviously she was worried about losing him or at least his friendship because she hadn't stopped talking since they left the van. And that was well over ten minutes ago.

"I don't want to lose you, Finn." He heard her say, this time softer and ashamed. He pushed on—down the hill of a winding road. They had to be…at least five minutes away. "I can't lose the only person I've ever—_oof_!"

He stopped short as he heard a thump behind him. He rubbed his forehead with one hand as he turned around to see Rachel chest down on the pavement, her one foot over the log in the road that she had tripped on.

Even though he was mad at her he wasn't going to be an asshole. He crouched down to where she was and touched her shoulder. "You okay?"

She looked up at him and frowned. "I think I twisted my ankle."

He frowned. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, help?"

He reached down under her arms and gently pulled her to a stand. She tried walking on it but just ended up tumbling into him. Great. Now on top of chatty Berry he had a crippled one.

"Here," He kneeled. "Crawl onto my back."

"You want to give me a piggy back ride? What if you drop me?" The sheer worry in her voice caught him off guard and made him laugh.

"Well it's either that…or you walk on it. _Or_ I can leave you here in the dark." He moved the flashlight and put it under his chin so that the light shined up on his face, creating eerie shadows. "And what if that ax murderer finds you…I hear he likes to spend time cutting up his victims in the woods."

He earned a nice smack on the arm for that one. He smirked. "Hey, you're hitting your only mode of transportation you know."

He flashed the light in her face and she scoffed, pushing his hand that held the flashlight. "_Fine_. I'll get on your back."

Finn smirked and turned around, bracing himself as Rachel crawled onto his back. She wrapped her legs around his waist and then her arms around his neck. Finn stood slowly and handed her the flashlight while his arms looped through her legs, holding her as securely as he could.

Finn picked up his pace as he walked down the hill as he heard the bustle of traffic and the bright lights of convenience stores around the corner—and thank grilled cheesus, a gas station. He hiked Rachel up a little higher on his back, held onto her tightly and made his way across the street.

0o0o0o00

Finn was, like, falling asleep in his lunch. And it was his favorite too: pancake day. The lunch ladies were kinda weird with their food selection for Lima High—it was clear that they just didn't give a flying fuck anymore. They made French toast with sides of cheeseburgers, bacon with sides of mac and cheese and pancakes with a side of mashed potatoes. He leaned onto his hand and tried to read the history homework that was due next period before lunch ended but his goddamn eyes kept closing.

The only thing keeping him awake was Puck—he kept flinging pieces of mashed potatoes at the back of his neck. He was lucky that Finn was even too tired to get up let alone go beat his ass or shove those potatoes up his nose.

His eyes closed for a second and his thoughts drifted back to last night. Rachel Berry was small and everything but Cheesus, try carrying her down a hill and then back _up_ one—_you won't be able to tell the difference between carrying her and carrying a fire truck when you're done. _

The gas had cost him a friggin arm and a leg too, which had put him in an even worse mood than before. By the time he had carried Rachel and the gas container back up the hill and winding roads to his abandoned truck he had had a headache and his back had hurt like he was going on sixty years old.

He had managed to get Rachel home, going on two A.M. He thanked God that she was right, her dad had stayed at the hospital with Mr. Leroy and she was going into an empty house. He remembered the pang of guilt he had suffered after dropping her off. Maybe he should of made sure everything was okay and then left—like, made sure she crawled into bed safe and sound with the doors locked and the alarm on. Or maybe he should have offered her a bed at his house—they had a spare room or maybe she could have had a very, very late sleepover with Kurt. It just didn't sit well with him that Rachel had to sleep in her house all by herself. Granted, she didn't live in a bad neighborhood and she was seventeen years old, not three—but he figured that had just been his overprotective side kicking into gear.

Finn was lucky that his mom didn't return until eight in the morning or so from her spa day with Burt. Because he was pretty sure she would have…done that thing they do to fish…wait, what was it? Fill—_filet_! That was it. He was certain his mom would have filleted his ass for coming home so late and spending that whole time with Rachel. His mom was cool but…she wasn't that cool (especially when it had to do with staying out till two am with his ex-girlfriend). Trying to explain that nothing had happened would have been pointless…his mom liked to jump to conclusions sometimes. It was better that she hadn't been there at all when he came home. He had collapsed on the couch and fallen asleep instantly, in his jeans and shoes and letterman jacket.

Puck had still been passed out in his bed anyways so it wasn't like he could go upstairs and collapse into bed. He was lucky he still remembered because…he couldn't even imagine going upstairs and falling into _Puck_ as he laid down in bed. Holy fucking awkward.

That day had been the longest day of his friggin life—_why the hell had it felt like it was getting even longer by the second?_ Finn shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He checked the time before closing his eyes again. Ten minutes before sixth period. Maybe he could catch a cat-nap (to this day he didn't understand what that meant…what made a cat-nap different from any other nap? It couldn't have been an expression to describe something short because cats, like, slept all day). He couldn't sleep in sixth period because every time he had drifted off in there Mr. Norrington smacked his head with a newspaper. So this short ten minutes would have to do.

O0o0o

"_It's just a little further!" Finn beamed, holding onto Rachel's hand as he dragged her through the woods._

"_Finn, we've been walking all daaaaay." He smirked as she whined on the last word. "My feet are killing me." _

_He turned back to look at her and helped her over a fallen tree. She stepped over the log and he pulled her into his side as she came onto even ground again. She smiled into his t-shirt, her one arm snaking around his waist. He placed a kiss in her soft hair—today it smelled like orange popsicles. He smiled down at her tan body, warm and tinted light brown from the summer sun. She was wearing jean shorts and a bright yellow shirt that said, "You are my sunshine". Finn loved summer a whole lot better than winter because Rachel wore skirts without tights and shorts that didn't leave a lot to the imagination (and he imagined about what was under those shorts and skirts __a lot__). _

"_We're almost there." He told her, gently tapping the tip of her nose with his finger as she looked up at him._

"_You said that an hour ago." _ _He smiled and leaned down to kiss her softly. _

_He could tell she was rising up on her tip toes to reach him. He smirked softly and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her a little so she didn't have to put so much effort into it. _ _The kiss ended naturally and he pecked her lips once before speaking. _

_"It's the perfect day to do this. Perfect summer day, I even helped you put sunscreen on your cute face so it wouldn't get burned." She giggled as he kissed her forehead. "What have you got to complain about?" _

"_Other than my feet hurting?" She smiled widely as he shook his head, letting her slide from his arms so her feet hit the ground again._

_He took her hand and laced their fingers. "Come on."_

_They walked a little further and Finn bit his lip. They had to be almost there. He and his dad used to walk through these woods all the time when he was little—he knew the place like the back of his hand even though he hadn't been there in so long. He hadn't had the courage to come back here. But Rachel was brave—if that taught him anything. She was the bravest person he knew…so he had to come back here, but only if it was with her. _

_He passed a tree with a ton of nails in it and he knew it was just around the corner. That tree was from years of hanging up signs. Signs of childhood dreams and overactive imaginations—but also memories, deeply engraved into the tree that still stood from all those years ago._

_Finn smiled widely as he saw it—it looked the same as it did ten years ago, even the sign (on a different, closer tree this time) was still there. The paint had faded and chipped but he could still read the message clearly._

_FINN'S CLUBHOUSE. KEEP OUT. _

_He chuckled softly at some of the backward letters in bright red paint. He smiled as he looked up into one of the trees next to the one with the sign. The clubhouse was still there, looking just like it had. Weather and time hadn't rotted the wood or chipped the paint or destroyed all the memories that had been made there. He felt like it had been only yesterday that he had been there with his dad._

"_Is this it?" Rachel asked softly behind him. _

_Finn nodded and turned to look at her as she came up beside him. "Yeah," He said softly, looking at tree house. _

_"My dad brought me here when I was five and a half. We uh, we built this tree house together. Well, I mean, he kinda built it more than I did but I got to hand him the nails and stuff." _ _He blushed softly and felt Rachel smile softly next to him, touching his forearm with an open palm. _

"_It's lovely, Finn." _

"_I haven't been back here since…my dad," He swallowed. "You know. But I wanted to bring you. It's kinda like…like I'm introducing my girlfriend to my dad this way." He nodded firmly, even though he could feel a quiver in his voice. "Since they never found his body." _

_His voice got softer and softer and Rachel licked her lips, squeezing his forearm. She stepped forward and looked up at the tree house._

"_It's very nice to meet you Mr. Hudson, I'm Rachel Barbara Berry." Finn smiled so wide that he felt like his face was going to split in half. He even laughed, his damn eyes filling to the lids with tears as she did a small curtsey. _

_This is why he loved her, like, __really_ _fucking loved her._

_He listened to the strong breeze blowing through the trees._ "_What's that dad?" Finn smiled at Rachel. "He said it's nice to meet you and that I did a good job…you're very beautiful." _

_Rachel giggled and pushed her face into Finn's arm, hiding her blush. Finn smirked and kissed the top of her head. _ _Finn curled hair around her ear as her face stayed against his arm, he felt her place a kiss right where his short sleeved shirt ended. _

"_I kinda wish he could see me now, you know? The man I've become." He swallowed thickly, the smile fading from his face. "Sometimes I wonder if he would be proud of me." He added softly._

_Rachel tilted her head to look up at him and then looked at the tree house. Her face scrunched and Finn licked his lips—it looked like she was trying to concentrate on something._

"_What was that, Mr. Hudson? I'm having a hard time hearing you…" She walked forward a little, listening more intently. Finn smiled softly at her. "Oh! Oh, yes, I quite agree with you very much." _ _Rachel looked back at him and smiled softly. _

_"What?" He asked her._

"_Your dad says that he's very proud of the person you've become. That you're…strong, brave and very, very sweet." _

_He smirked. "He said 'sweet'?"_

_Rachel beamed, swaying a little from side to side. "I may have paraphrased. __But__, the point is_, _he told me that you've turned into an honorable young man…and that to remember you're never alone, that he's always watching over you. No matter what." _

_Finn couldn't take his eyes off her, his heart swelling in such a way that he had never felt before. He was so in love with her—so much that he couldn't describe it. He was going to marry her one day. That was one thing that he was entirely certain of—he had never been so sure of anything in his entire life. _

_He rushed to her and she squealed as he picked her up into his arms, kissing her deeply. He could feel her fingers run through his hair and her legs securely wrap themselves around his waist. _

"_Dude, you're drooling in your mashed potatoes."_

_Finn frowned and pulled back from kissing Rachel, looking around for a male voice he had just heard not a second ago. It sounded like…_

_He turned right and saw Puck, standing with his hands in his pockets, smirking at a Rachel Berry in his arms. He slowly let Rachel down until she was standing, wrapping her arms around his waist. What the hell? How was Puck even there? And…mashed potatoes? He didn't even have any—_ _He turned to look where Rachel was standing…but instead of an adorable, petite, passionate brunette—he was holding a giant potato._

Finn jolted awake, the sounds of a chatty and busy cafeteria room swarming his view.

He groaned softly, rubbing his eyes. "Wha—"

"I said you're drooling in your mashed potatoes, its kinda gross dude."

Finn leaned up and glared at him. "Like they aren't gross al-fucking-ready."

Puck raised his eyebrows and snorted. "Don't be such a girl on the red cycle, Hudson," Finn rolled his eyes. What the fuck did that even mean? "Didn't mean to wake you on the wrong side of the bed, princess."

Finn pushed his tray away as a slow headache started to work its way into his temples.

Puck turned a chair around and straddled it backwards, leaning on it. "What were you even dreaming about? You were like, smiling and making all these weird happy puppy noises."

He shook his head and glanced across the lunch room, hearing her before he actually saw her. Rachel was giggling over something Sam was whispering in her ear. They were wrapped around each other like fucking tangled Christmas tree lights. He knew Rachel was into PDA's or whatever but Jesus fucking Christ if he watched this any longer the pancakes he had just eaten were going to end up all over the table. He watched as Rachel fed Sam a piece of pancake and he smiled, eating it off the fork—and then proceeded to attack Rachel with kisses. Rachel squealed and giggled, trying to push him away.

Finn rubbed his eyes, trying to block out her laughter. Although, if that dream had told him anything—it was that Rachel couldn't just be blocked out in his heart. He loved her—would always love her and that wasn't going to change…he had to have her all to himself again.

"Nothing," He finally told Puck, softly, his voice barely above the chatter of the cafeteria. "Can't even remember."

But he _could_ remember and that was the fucking problem. How could he forget that? He had never told anyone about that tree house in the woods next to his house. No-one. And he wanted to share something like that with Rachel, only her, because she'd understand. She wouldn't think he was being stupid or weird or…what was that word that people used when someone talked about, like, dead people? Mor-something?

The bell rang and Finn stood, gathering his books. He looked up and saw Rachel looking at him from across the room. As soon as they connected eyes, she looked away, throwing her trash away and taking Sam's hand.

Yeah. That definitely had to change.

0o0o0o0

He spent his entire free seventh period in Mr. Schue's office. He had to come clean about how he felt about Rachel to goddamn someone and…Mr. Schue was almost like a dad to him, well, before Burt and everything. Besides, he wanted to talk to him about the bake sale and Rachel's dad. Even though Rachel and him technically weren't fighting or mad at each other, he could tell she was still sore from the yelling fest that had come out of his mouth in the parking lot of the carnival. And he still felt like an ass for it. So…nothing said "I'm sorry" like a bake sale for her sick dad. Right?

"But I kind of want it to be a secret bake sale, like 007' kinda stuff, Mr. Schue."

Mr. Schue was leaning back in his seat, his face full of sympathy and obvious pain for Rachel and her family—like he couldn't imagine what she could be going through. He sighed and leaned forward, elbows on his desk, running a hand over his face. "I don't know, Finn. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Finn frowned. "Well, yeah of course I do. I…she really needs the help and it's not like…a pity vote or something. The glee club is like…a family and we support our own. Everyone helped when Quinn was pregnant by reminding us that we could lean on them and we raised that money just so we could help out Artie with his wheelchair. We're a family. And we help each other out. That's what glee club is all about."

Mr. Schue smiled as Finn spoke and nodded. "You know, you're right. If you can't depend on your family, who can you depend on? I'll talk with some of the glee members when Rachel isn't around; see how they feel about it. Can you talk to Sam?"

The bell echoed through the halls and Finn stood, gathering his backpack to sling over his shoulder. "Sam? Oh…yeah, I can handle that."

Mr. Schue laughed softly. "Alright, Finn! Operation secret bake sale is a-go!" He held his hand out.

Finn grinned and shook the man's outstretched hand.

O0o0o0o0o

Finn decided he needed to do this himself. Mr. Schue couldn't do this, _he_ had to. If Mr. Schue presented this the wrong way…he couldn't imagine the backlash from it. And he didn't want Rachel to get hurt anymore than she already was.

"I need to talk to you." Finn told Quinn as he approached her at her locker.

She raised her eyebrows and her right hand, which was holding a container full of blush powder, lowered slightly. She looked away from the mirror on her locker door and up at Finn, a smile curling at the edges of her mouth.

"I knew you'd miss me. We still have time to promote our posters if you want to find some tape—"

"No, Quinn." He cut her off before she could even get started. "I need your help but…it's not about us."

Quinn frowned. "Then what is it about?"

He swallowed. "Rachel."

She scoffed, her face going from cheery to sour in five seconds flat. She slammed her locker door closed. "If you think I'm going to help you and that little social reject get together you are sadly—"

"Would you just listen for a minute? Please?" He cut her off and sighed softly. Fuck. This was exactly why he needed to do this himself. The moment Quinn heard 'Rachel' it was like she was being burned by a hot iron.

Quinn leaned against the set of lockers, a permanent scowl on her face—but he could tell she was listening.

"Rachel needs our help."

She rolled her eyes. "In more ways than one. Did you _see_ what she was wearing today? I swear she borrows clothes from her grandmother."

"_Quinn_."

She sighed and pretended to zip her mouth closed. "It's her dad." Quinn swallowed and looked into his eyes. "He's _really_ sick." He said slowly, hoping to get through to her. "I know you don't like Rachel but…she needs our help. _I_ need your help." He touched her arm and moved his hand down until it was holding her hand. "If you can't do this for her, at least do this for me."

"You love her." Quinn said softly, looking at his hand holding hers. There wasn't any sadness or jealousy or sarcasm attached to her tone. It was a simple statement.

Finn nodded. "Yeah, I love her." He admitted softly.

Quinn bit her lower lip and he could tell she was holding tears back. She breathed out slowly, making her lips puff out a little. She looked up into his eyes and swallowed.

"How can I help?"

O0o0o0

Okay, that is where I am going to end it for now :) Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks again for all the reviews and adds! Also I'm not sure when Finn's father actually died, like how old Finn was, but for my story I'm making it so he died around when Finn was six or seven years old :) okay? So that clears that up if you were wondering during the dream sequence. I know that sequence was kinda long but it was oh so sweet and I just wanted to keep writing it XD Samchel will break up in the next few chapters, okay? So relax, sit back, and enjoy the story while I'm still updating! Not many more chapters left. Eight or so, maybe :)


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you everyone for the reviews, adds and alerts. After this story I was thinking of starting another Finchel fic but I'm not sure what about. I need to brainstorm! If anyone has any ideas feel free to share :)

Thank you and enjoy!

O0o0o0o0o

Chapter 17

He honestly hadn't suspected that Quinn would help him on this. He figured she'd give him a snide remark or roll her eyes and walk away…maybe hit him with her book bag on the way past but she hadn't. She had agreed to make pie and cake with Puck to help out Rachel.

Quinn had been on the bitchy side, making Rachel miserable with any type of comment when any opportunity presented itself but deep, deep, and Finn meant _deep_ in the chasms of her chest he knew a heart was there somewhere. He knew the prospect of cancer changed everyone's minds. Along with destroying the person it was inside of it also made everyone around it feel incredibly guilty, taking pity on those who were related to the one suffering.

He knew Rachel didn't want pity and he tried talking to some other glee members and convince them that this wasn't what it was about. It was about helping a fellow glee clubber in need—and he was co-captain, so it was his duty and stuff.

Finn had talked to Mr. Schue about the bake sale and he said that he had talked to the rest of the glee club and everyone was cool with it, he even had this idea that they should hold it after school or on the weekends in the parking lot. That way they could attract students and other members of the town, like parents. Some of the glee members could put on a performance, sing a few songs while the people of Lima looked at all the baked goods. Hopefully it could draw in people and some money for Rachel.

Now they just had to get baking.

Quinn and Puck were on pies or cakes.  
Mercedes and Kurt (he had pulled Blaine into this too) were making cookies or cupcakes.  
Santana, Brittany, Mike, Tina and Lauren were focusing on different types of cookies or trying to figure out how to work a snow cone stand at the bake sale.  
Finn and Sam were strictly set up, putting the tables up and making signs or flyers for the events and posting them around school and the town. Finn already asked his mom to contribute a dessert, which she was more than happy to do—two things she really liked, baking and Rachel.

So if everything went according to plan they could tell Rachel about the bake sale (that wasn't 'really' for her, they were going to tell her it was, like, to preserve the wildlife or something) tomorrow or in a few days and hold the event the weekend after this upcoming one.

Finn walked into school on Friday feeling better about everything. Rachel still wasn't talking to him or…really looking at him since he yelled at her in the parking lot but he still felt good about getting this whole bake sale thing started. The money raised probably wouldn't even put a dent in Mr. Berry's hospital bills but…anything he could do helped a little bit, right?

Rachel was by her locker as he turned down the hall to head to his. He wanted to talk to her—he missed talking to her. But every time he tried she just kinda glared at him and turned the other direction. He sighed softly and rubbed the back of his neck. She had to forgive him sometime.

He moved to where she was and leaned against the locker next to hers. "Hey." He said softly, watching as she shoved a few books into her locker.

She had one a black skirt and, what looked like, a new white sweater with a matching headband. She looked so pretty today (not that she wasn't pretty every day…but today especially). He wanted to run his hand through her silky locks or kiss her blush stained cheek—Finn briefly wondered if he'd ever have a chance to do that again.

"Hi." Her voice was even softer than his, barely above a whisper. She still didn't look at him.

He got the point that she wasn't really interested in talking to him, so he moved the conversation. "Is that a new sweater?"

Rachel turned her head a little to look at him and he swore his heart jumped in his chest as her eyes connected with his. "Yeah...my dad ordered it for me online before..." He watched as she swallowed and looked down, running hand over the edges of her sweater. "Anyways, it just came in the mail today."

Rachel closed her locker and started down the hall, Finn walking beside her. He didn't care if he had to pass his locker, he could go back. She was talking to him and he wasn't going to give that up just to grab his history book.

"How's your dad doing?"

"Not too good," Rachel responded softly, clutching her books to her chest. "He needs surgery again and," She sighed, aggravated. "They keep giving him these drugs that make him sleepy. I know he needs them but...it's so hard for my dad and me to really communicate with him when he's groggy. It's bad enough that he can't talk now he can't write to us either."

Finn frowned, wanting to comfort her somehow and was about to put a hand on her shoulder when something ahead of them caught his eye.

A skinny freshman, a lot shorter than Finn (maybe even shorter than Rachel) with fourth grade looking clothes on and taped up glasses—a huge cup of red slushie in his shaking right hand.

The kid flicked his wrist and threw the contents of the cup—aiming it straight for Rachel.

O0o0o0

Finn hadn't thought twice. Rachel gasped and tried to move her notebook up to cover her face and Finn took one large step, moving right in front, blocking the slushie from reaching her. Everything felt like it was moving incredibly slow; red slushie covering his entire chest and pants. It hadn't reached his face at all (because it had been meant for Rachel and she was so much shorter than he was) but bits of his neck and ears were covered in cold, syrupy ice.

Some people in the hallway around them gasped, like they had never seen a fucking slushie thrown before. Anger raged in Finn's chest and before he knew it he had picked up the freshman by his shirt and shoved him into a set of lockers.

"What the hell, dude? Do I even fucking _know_ you?"

"Finn!" He heard Rachel yell, coming up behind him.

"N-no-no Mr. Hudson, sir, man." He stuttered, whimpering like a scared puppy.

"Then you mind telling me why the fuck you're aiming slushies at my ex-girlfriend?"

The freshman swallowed thickly. "Amizo p-put me up to it. He-he said that I had to slushie Rachel Berry as an initiation p-prank."

_Fuck_. He swore to God—heads were going to fucking roll. Who the fuck did Amizo think he was? He couldn't just put Rachel up as target practice or for an initiation onto the football team. His fists clenched and he thought a moment—did he want to get suspended for hurting the messenger or punching Amizo's teeth out?

He could feel Rachel gently pull on the back of his shirt. "Finn, come on. Let's just go."

"Apologize." He shook the freshman.

He looked past Finn and swallowed. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He heard Rachel's meek reply. She tugged on his shirt a bit more. "Finn."

He could feel the urgency in her voice. He knew teachers had to be around the corners, getting ready to break up the little love fest and throw Finn in detention—it was only a matter of time with the crowd of student's he'd attracted.

"Don't ever target her again, understand?" Finn asked, voice dipped in anger and protectiveness.

The kid nodded dumbly before Finn let go of his shirt, letting him drop to the floor. He felt Rachel pull his arm, moving quickly to a bathroom down the hall.

"Where are we going?"

"Shush." Rachel hissed, pushing into the girl's bathroom.

Warning bells were gonging in Finn's head…was this even legal? A girl squeaked by the sink as she saw the tall, very large and awkward Finn Hudson in the bathroom with her.

"Uh, Rachel...I don't think I should really be in here."

The girl at the sink rushed past them and out of the bathroom while Rachel grabbed a chair from the other side of the room and set it down next to one of the sinks. "Sit."

Finn swallowed, sitting down on the chair. "Uh, what are we doing in here?"

He heard Puck talking about, like, having a nooner in the girl's bathroom before but…he kinda had no idea what that was. Knowing Puck, however, it had to be something dirty—and that definitely wasn't the road he was traveling down with Rachel.

She pounded her little fist on the paper towel dispenser, trying to get it to un-jam. She pulled a few loose and turned the water on.

"I'm cleaning you up. You have red slushie all over you."

He shook his head. "Oh, Rach, it's cool. I can get it—"

He went to stand up but suddenly she was next to him again, pushing on his shoulder to sit back down.

"Let me do it." She said softly.

He bit his lip. "You don't have to." He said plainly—she had made it very clear that she didn't want anything to do with him since that past weekend. "Besides, there's nothing you can do for my pants and shirt. I'm gonna have to see if I have anything in my gym locker."

"Sam has some clothes here. He still gets slushied sometimes. I can ask him if you can borrow something."

He raised his eyebrows. He was never going to fit in his jeans or anything like that. Finn was a lot taller than Sam…and he liked the think he was a bit more, well, _endowed_.

"Maybe a shirt." He nodded, not wanting to be rude at Rachel's offer. "I have sweats in my locker."

Rachel nodded once and rolled up her sleeves, dipping the paper towels into warm water before coming over to him. She swallowed.

"Uhm, may I…?"

Finn nodded softly as she slowly descended onto his lap, sitting more on his thigh than anything else. He wasn't sure why she had to sit on him to clean his face but he wasn't going to complain about it.

Finn closed his eyes a moment as Rachel started running the warm paper towels over his neck, picking up sticky syrup. Of all the times Rachel Berry was talkative, for some reason, this wasn't one of them. It was impossible that she had nothing to say—she _always_ had something to say…and usually it was along the lines of yelling at him. All that he knew was that someone had to start talking about something because all he could focus on was Rachel in her short skirt sitting on his lap.

Her skirt was so short that when she sat down Finn saw the end of it against his other leg…which only meant—he swallowed thickly—the only thing separating Finn's thigh and Rachel's ass was his jeans and the thin, lacy material of her panties.

"You didn't have to do that, Finn." Rachel said softly, cleaning the ends of his ears. She got off him and went to get more paper towels.

Finn breathed out as he felt his heightening arousal slow down until it was gone. _Sweet Jesus in a hand basket, thank you. _Raging hard-on crisis officially averted.

Then he realized what Rachel said. He sat up and looked at her. "What? Yes I did! I wasn't going to let that asshole ruin your new sweater!"

"Oh, I see." She threw away a few paper towels and searched in her bag for something. "So this wasn't about me, it was about my sweater? Is that why you nearly used violence to harm that freshman?"

Finn stared at her, wheels turning in his head. He felt like whatever answer he was going to give was the wrong one. "Yes…I really like the design. It's…uh, intricate?"

Rachel raised her eyebrows as she pulled out a washcloth. Why the hell she kept washcloths in her book bag was beyond him. "Intricate?"

Finn bit his lip and then blew out a breath between his lips. "Yeah?"

He knew he had the right word. He totally had been reviewing SAT flashcards before bed last night. He was going to kick that test square in the nads if he kept up the studying.

She laughed softly. "I'll have to pass along to Kurt that you enjoy _intricate_ crochet patterns. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear it."

"Come on, Rach." He rolled his eyes.

She smirked softly and wet the washcloth, sitting on his lap again to clean his face and neck. She cupped one side of his face as she dabbed the washcloth along his cheekbone with another. Was she torturing him like this on purpose? Because she was pissed at him? Probably not…Rachel wasn't _that_ mean…was she?

He cleared his throat and tried to relax as she cleaned him up as best as she could. His thoughts jumped around until it remembered this upcoming weekend before the bakesale. He looked up at Rachel. He wanted to ask her but…were they even friends? Did he have the right to ask her stuff like that anymore? He really, really wanted to go with her but he was almost a hundred percent certain she'd say no. He sighed softly as she stood, wetting the washcloth again.

Well, the only way he'd know for sure was if he asked.

"Rachel?"

"Hmm?" She murmured softly.

Finn swallowed, suddenly nervous. "Uh, so, my mom and Burt want to take me and Kurt to the beach this weekend."

She raised her eyebrows as she came back over and cleaned up the sticky syrup from behind his ears—how the hell had it even gotten there? "Oh, really? That sounds really nice. A family vacation!" He smiled as she sounded excited. "Just for the weekend?"

He nodded. "Yeah, and we're taking Monday off too. Kurt is taking Mercedes and—"

"Mercedes? Funny, I thought for sure he would have asked Blaine to go."

"Well, he tried…but Burt, like, exploded. And then yelled something about a tent? Something about…how he knew what happened in the tent?" Rachel crinkled her eyes in confusion and he shrugged. "Yeah, I don't get it either. We don't even stay in a tent…we own a beach house."

Rachel bit her lip. "I've never been to a beach before."

Finn looked up at her. "I know. I, uh, Kurt is taking Mercedes and…I wanna take you."

Her eyes widened and she stood. "Oh, _absolutely_ not!" Finn sighed, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. "I learned my lesson about going anywhere with you, thank you very much."

"No!" He stood up. "I want to go as friends. But…for real this time." He stuffed his hands in his pockets, uncomfortable.

She scoffed. "I'm not sure you understand the meaning of that word, Finn."

"It's a family vacation." He tried again. "We won't have a _minute_ alone together and Kurt wants you to come. Besides, you just said you've never been to a beach and I know you want to go!"

"Yes, I've always wanted to go." He seriously couldn't believe they were arguing about this in the girl's bathroom. "But not with you, _not_ after last weekend and _not_ while dating Sam."

Finn sighed again. "I didn't know you needed permission from Sam like he was your father." He snapped. He was really getting tired of Sam fucking Evans getting in the way.

"And if you were still in a relationship you'd understand why I had to ask him!"

He glared at her. "Low blow, Rachel." He said, sitting back down in the chair. He crossed his arms over his chest and licked his lips. "I broke up with her because…it wasn't working out. I was stringing her along and Quinn didn't deserve that." He looked down at his stained jeans.

Rachel bit her lip as he looked back up, going over to the sink to rinse out the washcloth.

"I just…you need a break from everything. From sleeping in your house by yourself, stressing out over school and glee, hospital visits and cancer…you need a break. You need some fun away from Lima…it'll," He smiled softly. "give you some perspective on what's really important in your life."

"Last time you said I needed to have some fun the carnival blew up in my face."

"That won't happen again," He promised. "I'm not going to fuck up—"

"Finn—" She huffed over his language.

"Screw up," He corrected himself. "I'm not going to screw up like that again. I need to be a good friend and that's what I'm trying to do."

She ran her hands through her hair and licked her lips. "Look me in the eyes…and promise me."

Finn's eyes looked up into hers. She looked nervous and God, he never ever wanted to make her feel that way. He just wanted to go back before that stupid carnival. He felt like he had built up all this trust with her and now the entire wall of trust was gone—he'd have to restart from scratch.

"I promise." He said softly, firmly. "Promise."

Rachel's eyes searched his for a moment before she nodded softly. "Okay. I'll ask Sam…but I'm only going if it's okay with him. And…my dads obviously."

"My mom can talk to your dads if you want."

Rachel smiled softly. "I'll let you know. I uh, I have to go find Sam but I'll see you later. Meet me after Social Studies…I can give you Sam's shirt." She nodded softly and left, leaving Finn alone in the girl's bathroom.

He did it. He actually convinced Rachel to consider going to the beach. He couldn't believe he was so close to going on vacation with her.

The beach.

Sand. Sun. Sky blue ocean. Ice cream. Bonfires.

And _Rachel_.

That last one was all that really mattered.

Oh, and the fact that she'd be wearing skimpy polka dot bikinis.

Yeah, that one really mattered too.

O00o0o0o

Finn drew his keys out of his pocket and opened the door of his truck, looking for a hoodie or something. He swore that Sam's shirt was cutting off the circulation on his arms. It was a nice gesture and everything and it had gotten him through the school day but if he swore that if he wore it any longer he was going to break out of it like friggin hulk.

He sighed and finally found a t-shirt (God only knew how long it had actually been there…) in the backseat, underneath a gym bag and a few cans of Pepsi. He pulled it out, smelled it, shrugged and took Sam's shirt off, throwing it into the backseat. He slid on his shirt and breathed, relaxed—least he didn't feel like a Ken doll in a Polly Pocket shirt anymore.

"Sam, wait, just hear me out!"

Finn's eyes widened as he heard Rachel scream that in the parking lot to his right. He hurriedly got into the truck and looked out the window. Rachel was hurriedly following Sam to his car. He was miles ahead of her.

"Please!"

"You have got to be kidding me Rachel. In what universe would I be okay with you going on vacation with your ex-boyfriend?"

Finn winced and slid down the seat a little, trying to shrink down his enormous height. How did he get himself into these situations? Least this time it wasn't his fault…he wasn't purposely putting himself into their conversation by hiding in the men's locker room to eavesdrop. No. This time it was allll their fault. They were in public domain by screaming in the parking lot and Finn really had no choice but to sit in his truck (and totally listen to everything they were saying) because if he drove away now they would see him…and know he had been listening. So really, he had no choice.

"It's…he's trying to be my friend." Rachel said softly, looking at the pavement. Finn carefully rolled down his window a little to hear them.

Sam scoffed as he opened the trunk of his car. "Right. Was he trying to be your friend when he kissed you?"

Finn's eyes widened. _Fuck_, Rachel had told him about that? He sunk even lower in his seat.

"He's lucky I don't punch him in the face the next time I see him."

"Sam!"

Finn winced and tried to sink lower but his body was like…the Eiffel tower in a clown car. He couldn't get any lower—he just prayed neither Sam nor Rachel looked his way.

"I'm sorry, okay? But…" Finn peaked above the dash to watch Sam shake his head. "No, just. No. I don't want you to go."

"But…I'll probably be hanging out with Kurt most of the time anyways and…I need this."

"You _need_ to spend three days with your ex-boyfriend at the beach." Sam stated flatly.

Rachel stomped her foot. "You wouldn't be acting this way if Kurt had just asked me to the beach."

"Because," He slammed the trunk closed. "Kurt is gay and has a _boyfriend_."

"But…I'm not going for Finn. I'm going for the beach and because—"

"Yeah, you need it. I heard you the first time. Goddamn it, Rachel. Don't you see what's going on? What Finn is trying to do? I know you're not stupid so why are you acting like you are?" He shouted, his face regretting it the moment he said the words.

Finn gripped his steering wheel—forcing himself to stay in the truck as Rachel's eyes widened, staring at Sam in disbelief. Rachel was unfortunately gaining a track record of boys yelling at her in parking lots.

"Rachel, I—"

She shook her head and turned, walking towards Finn's direction. He hoisted himself down as low as he could go so she didn't see him as she walked past.

"Rachel, wait! I'm sorry!"

She was already gone, walking out of the parking lot towards home.

0o0o0o0

Finn waited until he was sure Sam left in his car. He briefly wondered if he had drove out looking for Rachel but if Sam knew any better he knew he had to let Rachel cool off…but that didn't mean Finn couldn't go look for her. All he had to do was pretend to be driving by and just happen to see Rachel walking. He could totally do it. His mom said he was a born actor—he _had _been the little star in a Christmas play when he was five and everything.

He pulled out of the parking lot and turned on his left turn signal. He turned left and headed down the street, hitting the steering wheel with his thumbs as he searched the sidewalks for a pissed off brunette. It didn't take long to find her.

She had a long walk home so it was obvious she was taking her time. He slowed his truck down and rolled down the window.

"Rachel?" He asked, feigning confusion. "What are you doing walking?"

She stopped and looked at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Sam had to go help his grandma out with something so he couldn't take me home."

He raised his eyebrows. Why was she lying for him? Was she embarrassed or something that she got in a fight with her boyfriend? Or maybe she just didn't feel like talking about it.

"Oh," He opened his car door. "Get in, I'll take you."

Rachel curled hair around her ear. "I couldn't possibly—"

"Rachel," He smiled softly. "Get in."

She smiled and went around the front of his truck and hopped inside, closing the door. When she put her seatbelt on he drove away from the curb.

"Thank you, Finn."

"Do you need to go to the hospital to visit your dads?"

She shook her head. "No, I uh, I'm gonna go tonight because I need to pack for the beach."

Finn looked at her. What? "O-oh? Really?" He smiled.

"Yeah," She turned in her seat to look at him. "Sam said I could go."

Finn raised his eyebrows as he looked back at the road. "He was cool with it." He stated, almost in disbelief.

He didn't want to keep acting like she was lying to him (which she _was_, but whatever) because he didn't want her to notice that he had eavesdropped on yet _another_ one of her conversations with Sam but…he couldn't believe she was going to go even though Sam had flat out told her he didn't want her to.

"Well…he wasn't at first but," She nodded, looking at the steering wheel. "He said he understood why I need this and said I could go."

Finn smiled softly at her. "I'm glad Rachel. The beach is just what you need. We can look for a post card for him if you want." He pulled into her driveway.

She smiled. "I'd like that, Finn."

He watched her get out. "Don't forget to pack your swimsuit!"

She giggled. "I won't. Can your mom call my dads for me?"

"She already did." He winked. "Mr. Hiram said of course you could go."

Rachel beamed. "I'm so excited!"

He chuckled. "We'll pick you up tomorrow at five in the morning."

"I'll have to start my morning routine earlier then."

Finn laughed as she turned, determined, heading straight for her house. He waited until she was safely inside before pulling out of her driveway.

While Rachel packed her bikinis, Finn had something important he needed to take care of.

0o0o0o0

Finn was nervous and he shouldn't have been. He had done this before and…yeah, Mr. Berry had tried to throw a clip board at him but this time had to go better than the last.

He breathed out and ran a hand through his hair, walking into the entrance of the hospital. He turned down the hall and looked at Rachel's dad's room. He gently knocked on the door, pulling on the end of his polo anxiously. He smiled softly at Mr. Hiram by the bed.

"Finn, hello. Isn't this a surprise?" He put down his book that he had been reading and took his reading glasses off. "Is Rachel with you?"

Finn shook his head and glanced at Mr. Leroy in the bed. He was asleep—Rachel said they had been giving him drugs that made him drowsy…so he must have slept a lot of the time.

"No sir," He looked at Mr. Hiram. "How is…uh, Mr. Leroy doing?"

Mr. Hiram sighed softly, setting his book down on the nightstand. "He's…alright, I suppose. Long road ahead of him."

Finn swallowed and nodded, twisting his hands nervously before stuffing them in his pockets. "My mom and I pray for him every day."

He smiled up at him. "Thank you, Finn. That means a lot…especially to Rachel."

Finn smiled shyly and bit his lower lip before clearing his throat. "I, uh, I came here to ask you something. I know my mom called you but I wanted to ask for permission in person."

Mr. Hiram nodded softly and motioned for Finn to take a seat. "Go head."

He took the seat. He felt so awkward—too long legs and a huge frame. He felt like a giant in doll house in this hospital room. "So, my mom and Burt thought it'd be cool to plan a small vacation at the beach. Since they got married they've been trying to save money for the new house…" He nodded softly.

"This three day beach vacation is all they could really afford, which is fine with me since…I like the beach and Mickey Mouse kinda creeps me out. I'd rather have three days in the sun and sand instead of a week in Disney Land."

God, he was rambling.

"Anyways, Kurt is taking Mercedes and I wanna take your daughter…as a friend." He added quickly.

"As a friend?"

He nodded. "I just want her to have some fun…" Finn glanced at the bed again. "Not that she can't have fun here. Well, not _here _in the hospital, I mean..." He sighed, pulling at the collar of his shirt. "Do they have the heat on?"

Mr. Hiram chuckled. "Finn, relax."

Finn swallowed and smiled weakly at the older man, breathing in through his nose.

"Now, besides the beach, I also heard that you took a slushie for my daughter today."

Finn looked up. When had Rachel told him that? When she got home? Before he came over here? When he had been at his house, cleaning up to look presentable for when he talked to her dad? Because he hadn't told his mom or anything.

"Oh…" Finn faltered, not really sure what to say. "Yeah, I did. I was protecting her new sweater." He said slowly.

Mr. Hiram smiled. "Oh, just her sweater?"

Finn blushed. "It was a nice sweater."

"I'll make sure I tell Mr. Leroy you like crochet patterns."

Finn couldn't hold back a laugh. "That's almost exactly what Rachel said."

He winked. "It's like we're related or something." He joked.

Finn smiled widely, relaxing just a bit. He always liked Mr. Hiram—he was so much more relaxed, ready to joke with him and relate to how he felt…while Mr. Leroy was more of a shoot first and ask questions later kinda person. Not that Mr. Hiram wouldn't take charge to protect Rachel…he was just a definite opportunist? No, wait…_optimist_.

Finn stood. "Well, I have to get going. My mom wants me home for dinner and I have to pack yet."

Mr. Hiram stood as well to shake Finn's hand. He squeezed his hand softly. "Look, Finn. Rachel may be dating someone else but let's not pretend that she doesn't still care about you. A lot."

Finn swallowed and his heart swelled. He smiled softly and squeezed his hand back. "Thanks, Mr. Berry."

"Just don't forget that." He smiled. "And don't give up." He winked softly and Finn smirked, letting his hand fall away. "Watch my daughter on this trip, understand?"

Finn nodded. "I will, I promise."

Mr. Hiram nodded and smiled as Finn turned to walk out.

So, great. He was ninety nine percent certain Rachel's dad knew he was head over heels in love with her.

O0o0o0o0

The car ride was quiet on the way to Rachel's house. Everyone was tired. Mercedes was basically asleep against the window…was she drooling? Kurt was leaving Blaine early bird text messages (Finn didn't even want to imagine what he was saying), and his mom was driving the first leg to the beach house. Burt was quietly looking over the map next to her, sipping his coffee and plotting out where they would stop for breakfast.

He was glad his mom had decided to rent a van to drive. It was better for the mileage and there was a hell of a lot more leg and room space. While Kurt and Mercedes shared the middle row, he and Rachel would get the back seat. Finn pulled on one of the strings of his gray hoodie as his mom pulled into Rachel's driveway.

Rachel was already sitting on her house steps with her bright pink suitcase. He smiled as she stood up—she had on jean shorts and an adorable red hoodie, he could see her yellow bikini strings peak out near the hood. Burt got out of the car to help Rachel put her bag in the trunk with the others.

Rachel thanked Burt and slid open the van door. "Good morning, Rachel." His mom greeted with a smile.

Rachel smiled back and took Kurt's hand as he helped her step into the van. "Good morning, Carol."

He smirked as his mom beamed, clearly glad Rachel had remembered to call her by her first name. "Thank you for letting me come."

"Oh, no problem dear."

Finn scooted over as Rachel plopped down beside him. She looked tired for being a morning person. She put her seatbelt on and smiled at him.

"I'm excited."

Finn smiled and smirked softly. "Me too."

Burt got in the car and put his seatbelt on as his mom pulled out of Rachel's driveway. Rachel bit her lip, curling hair around her ear. Finn heard her yawn and turned his head to watch her rub her eyes.

"The early bird that has a morning routine and everything is _sleepy_?" He joked, bumping his elbow with hers.

She smiled, drowsy. "Shut up."

"You can lean on me if you want to." He said, watching her eye up the window to her right. "I'm much more comfortable than that window."

She snorted. "I'll take my chances with the window." She cuddled up against it as best she could and closed her eyes.

Finn smiled and shook his head. "Suit yourself." He mumbled, looking out his own window.

Ten minutes later he felt Rachel's head fall onto his shoulder, fast asleep. He looked down at her and smiled softly, watching her chest rise and fall peacefully.

This was starting out to be the best vacation ever.

O0o0o0o

:) hope you all enjoyed! Thanks so much for reviews I've been getting.


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks for all the amazing reviews :)

Enjoy!  
0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 18

Rachel was still asleep on him when they reached the rest stop. He had to wake her—he was pretty sure his mom said that this was going to be the only stop on the way to the beach. And he was sure Rachel wanted to, like, eat or pee and stuff.

He gently shook Rachel's shoulder. "Rach?"

"Mmm, Finn."

He raised his eyebrows and smiled lopsidedly at the sleeping, and apparently dreaming, Rachel. He ran a hand through her hair. "Rachel." He shook her a little more forcefully.

Her eyes slowly slid open and she looked up at him. "Finn?"

He smiled. "Yeah, hey." She shook her head and groaned sleepily, running her nose along his shoulder. "I know you're tired but you can sleep on the second leg. We're at a rest stop…we're gonna get breakfast."

His mom got out of the car and Kurt slid the van door open. He smiled softly at Mercedes as she smirked at the sleepy, and heavily cuddled, Rachel against him. Kurt whispered something in Mercedes' ear and the girl beamed at him, hooping her arm around his as they headed toward the entrance of the restaurant. Well that didn't look good—he knew what it looked like when Kurt was planning something.

Rachel sat up and rubbed her eyes. He heard her stomach growl and she ran her hand over her flat tummy.

"Ugh, I don't feel well." She swallowed and got out of the car.

Finn frowned and undid his seatbelt. "You sound hungry."

"I feel carsick." She murmured as Finn got out of the car, sliding the van door closed.

Finn took in her white face and shaking legs. He gently took hold of her arm and pushed her to lean against the side of the van.

"Lean down."

"Huh?"

He smiled and pushed on her lower back. "Lean down like you're going to put your head between your legs but don't."

She bent at the waist and breathed slowly in and out, waiting for the nausea to pass. He rubbed her upper back and looked towards the front of the restaurant, where his mom was waiting for them. "I'll be right back." He told Rachel and jogged to where his mom was.

"You two coming?" She smiled at Finn…almost knowingly.

He wasn't sure what she 'knew' exactly but he brushed it off. "I think Rachel's a bit carsick…she probably just needs to eat. Go in and order, I'm gonna wait with her."

Frown lines appeared on her face. "Aw, poor dear. Are you sure she's okay?"

He smiled softly. "Yeah, I'm sure she'll be alright mom. We'll be in soon."

She nodded, looking at the van. "Well come in and get me if you need anything. I'll order you a coffee."

Finn nodded and watched his mom go inside before returning to Rachel. She wasn't bent over anymore and some color had returned to her cheeks.

"Feeling better?"

She smiled softly. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm sure this is just what your mom wants…a car sick passenger."

He smirked softly and leaned against the van next to her. "My mom's fine, she's just worried about you."

"So embarrassing."

"When you vomit on my shoes _then_ you can be embarrassed. Right now you're fine." He winked at her and she giggled.

"I didn't eat this morning before we left. I thought it wouldn't matter since I was asleep but…as soon as I woke up, it hit me."

"You didn't eat? Miss 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day' didn't eat?" He asked, mock shock covering his face.

She glared at him. "I overslept. You know I haven't been sleeping well. So of course, the day I need to get up at a certain time that's when I sleep through my alarm. So I didn't have time to eat before you guys got me."

He smiled at her. "Well you have time to eat now…ready to head inside?"

She slowly pushed herself off the van and his left hand cautiously hovered near her lower back in case she tumbled.

"You okay?" He asked and she smiled up at him, nodding.

"Yeah, let's go get some pancakes!"

Finn chuckled and walked inside with her.

0o0o0o00o

They arrived at the beach house around one-thirty in the afternoon. Finn smiled as Rachel looked outside the window, a grin plastered on her face. The beach house they stayed in was literally on the beach—so basically a hop, skip and a jump away from sand and shoreline.

"Alright, I'll drop you all of here, Burt and I need to go shopping to stock up the kitchen. Anyone want snacks?"

Finn bit his lower lip. "Twizzlers."

Kurt turned around and made a face at him. "So basically you're going to live off color dye Red 40 while you're here?"

Finn stared at him and glanced at Rachel. "I have no idea what that means."

She giggled softly. "I'd love a container of cinnamon oatmeal."

Carol nodded and wrote it down on her list and took some other people's requests. Rachel tried to hand Burt a few dollars for her oatmeal but he wouldn't take it.

"No, no. I insist." Rachel tried.

Burt smiled at her. "Your money is no good here, sweetie. Thank you though for the offer."

Rachel pulled back with a pout on her face and stuffed the money back into her jeans pocket.

"Alright guys, we'll be back in an hour or so…"

As soon as the words left Burt's mouth, Kurt and Mercedes bolted from the van, running up towards the beach house. Finn raised his eyebrows and Rachel's mouth opened slightly.

His mom chuckled. "Guess those two are excited to get to the beach."

"I guess I'll get the bags." Finn grumbled, getting out of the other door.

Rachel followed him out. "I'll help you." She smiled softly as he opened the trunk.

Finn smiled at her and handed her the bags that were kinda light in weight and carried the others up to the house after closing the trunk. He heard his mom pull out of the driveway and head down the road as he opened the front door to the beach house.

"So the kitchen and living room along with a deck is upstairs while the bedrooms and dining room are here on the first floor. The deck is awesome, my mom always cooks out on it and you can see the shoreline from there. Just uh, be prepared…she'll want to take lots of pictures of all of us on there for like, Christmas cards."

Rachel giggled as she helped carried the bags inside. "I don't mind. My fathers have told me that I'm very photogenic."

Finn smirked. "I guess you'll be sharing a room with Mercedes. Kurt and I can take the room down the hall…"

He looked for her sparkly pink suitcase in the mass of luggage and picked it up along with Mercedes' bag. Finn went down the hall, Rachel following him.

He stopped at the first room and frowned as he heard Kurt laughing inside. He opened the door and looked at the two friends.

"Uh, hey."Finn felt like he was walking in on something.

Kurt stood and raised his eyebrows. "You could knock before you burst into our bedroom."

Finn stared at him. "Your bedroom? This is the _girl's_ bedroom. We're sleeping down the hall."

Kurt grabbed Mercedes' bag from his arms. "I thought we were sleeping by who we invited."

Finn's eyes went from Kurt's face to Mercedes'—she looked guilty. So _this_ is what they were talking about and planning in the car!

"_Kurt_."

"Sorry! Gotta go…call Blaine." He smiled and slammed the door in his face. He sighed and rubbed his forehead a moment.

He was going to kill Kurt. He was going to go to his room, late at night and strangle him. He swallowed. That is…if Rachel didn't kill him first. He expected Rachel to be pissed off or at least look uncomfortable at the idea of sharing a room with him but…when he looked at her she didn't seem mad at all.

She looked…_amused_.

"Uh, I'm sorry about this…" Finn said as he went down the hall to the other bedroom. "I had no idea he was going to pull that and I'm sure my mom won't let it stay this way for long…so…"

"It's not a big deal." Rachel said, surprising him.

God, there must have been something in those pancakes she ate. She didn't even want to go on this trip with him without asking her boyfriend first but she was cool with sleeping in the same room as her ex?

"You haven't seen the beds yet." Finn muttered, opening the door.

Rachel bit her lip as she saw the room. It was slightly smaller than the other bedroom, with a closet, two dressers, two windows facing the beach, a small table and instead of having two beds side by side…there was a bunk-bed.

"I get top bunk." Finn said teasingly, setting her back down next to the bed.

Rachel laughed. "In your dreams. You'll fall through and crush me!"

Finn glared at her, a bit playfully and a bit hurt. "Really know how to make a guy feel good about himself, thanks Rach."

She smiled softly and touched his arm for a moment. "You know I'm just kidding."

Finn smiled and bumped hips with her. "Yeah, I know. I'm gonna go get my bag."

Rachel nodded and looked at the top bunk as he left to go down the hall. He grabbed his bag and pillow and heard a loud thump. He frowned and rushed back to the room and found a Rachel Berry on her ass, glaring at the bunk bed.

He chuckled. "Rachel?"

She looked up at him. "Ow."

He set his bag and pillow down on the lower bunk and reached down to help her up. "What were you doing?"

"Trying to get up there! There's no ladder and I'm too short to reach it. So I tried to climb onto my bed by stepping on yours."

He scrunched his nose playfully. "You had your feet all over my bed?"

She pushed him and he laughed. "I have adorable feet!"

Finn looked around for a ladder or stepping stool—anything she could use to climb up into her bed. He couldn't find anything that would get her up there. The beach house was rented so maybe the previous owners broke the ladder that belonged on the bunk bed and never got it replaced.

"You might just have to rely on me lifting you." Finn looked at Rachel, who crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. "…Or you could try climbing again but how many times do you want to bruise your ass?"

She rolled her eyes and then smiled softly at his amused face. "Fine. I guess I won't try that again."

"Good to know," He smiled at her and went to his suitcase. "I gotta change into my trunks. Are you all ready?"

She nodded. "Just need to get my cover-up out."

She went into her bag and grabbed a small see-through knee length dress; it was white and had bright blue buttons going all the way down in the center.

"What's a cover-up for?"

She smiled at him. "To go over my bathing suit, I'm sure your mom has one. It's so I'm not walking to the beach in just my bikini and this can get wet…unlike my other clothes."

Finn swallowed. Her bikini. How in the hell did he forget that Rachel Berry would be wearing _just_ a bikini? He felt his shorts tighten.

"Uh, yeah, cool. I gotta go…change."

Finn rushed out of the room and to the bathroom, closing the door. He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the door. He had to get a hold of himself. They were going to be at the beach for three days; he couldn't just get all…hard and stuff every time he saw her wearing less than a skirt and shirt.

He licked his lips and breathed out, heat curling in his stomach and knotting lower. He gently hit the back of his head off the door.

"Focus."

The arousal he felt pooling in his stomach slowly went down (that wasn't the _only_ thing that went down…) and he changed into his trunks. He opened the door and smiled as he saw Rachel in her cute little cover-up, hair swishing against her shoulders as she walked up to him.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, totally." He smiled and dropped his clothes off on his bed and walked out onto the beach with her.

0o0o0o0

Finn felt like he was in a dirty movie that his mom had banned from the cable at home. He had walked to the beach with Rachel and she was talking about sharks and stuff—which should have interested him right away because he loved sharks and shark movies but…sharks in movies were never the same as sharks in real life. Sure, freak accidents happened sometimes but sharks generally didn't care about people. If someone ever got bit it was because they weren't following simple rules (like, don't go into the water with an open cut, wear jewelry or swim in murky water) or it was a mistake—shark probably thought you were a fat seal.

Yeah, that's what he _should_ have said to Rachel (because he was like, a pro on sharks since he watched shark week every year) instead of nodding at her worried glances at the deep blue ocean.

But instead, what was he doing? Staring at her goddamn breasts. Her bright yellow bikini was shining through the see-through cover up top and Finn swallowed, forcing himself to look in front of him as they continued down the beach to where Kurt and Mercedes had set up some towels and chairs.

Rachel kicked off her flip-flops and pulled her dress over her head—Finn saw the light pink blush on her cheekbones as she did so. If she said anything about how Quinn probably looked better in a bikini he was going to _personally feed her to a shark_ because he'd never seen anyone as beautiful or sexy as Rachel in her little yellow swimsuit.

Finn reluctantly took his t-shirt off and set it down next to her cover-up. He didn't have abs like Puck or Sam but Rachel had never made him feel self-conscious about what he looked like. She always told him he was the hottest guy in school and he appreciated her wanting to make him feel good about himself.

He looked to see Rachel looking at his chest, biting her lower lip in thought. He smiled softly and bent down to look in one of the sun bags for sunscreen. He looked over the bottle and then up at the sky. There were random clouds in the sky, big puffy white splotches covering the sun every so often. A SPF of six should do the job and make sure no one got sunburn—least he hoped so.

"Will you come in with me?" Rachel asked shyly, touching his forearm.

He looked down at her and smiled. "You're seriously afraid of sharks?"

"I've never been to an ocean before, Finn."

He chuckled softly and poured a bit of sunscreen into his hands, rubbing it onto his shoulders and chest. "Well we're not going all the way out in the deep where they can get you."

He tickled her sides and she smiled, pushing herself away from him. "Alright, fine. But I still want you to go in with me!"

"I will but first, sunscreen. Where do you want it?"

She bit her lip and turned around so that her back was facing him, she held up her hair in her hand, exposing her shoulders. "Back and shoulders, please?"

He swallowed and looked over her body as he moved forward, squirting sunscreen into his hand. He ran the sunscreen into her back and shoulders and smiled softly as he felt her shiver—he didn't know whether it was from his hands or the coolness of the screen.

His thumb ran over her shoulders, dipping just a little past them and onto her collar bone. He traced his finger along a set of freckles—they were patterned in such a way that if he took a pen to her skin he could trace a triangle.

Finn pulled his hands back and capped the container, setting it back down in the bag again. "Alright, you're all set."

She turned around and smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Welcome, now let's go!" He took her hand and started to rush for the ocean but she pit stopped before he could even get his feet wet.

He turned around to see her looking at the ocean like it was about to eat her. He laughed. "Rachel, you'll be fine. I promise."

"I dunno…" She kicked the sand with her foot. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

Finn bit his lower lip. "You've always wanted to come to a beach but never wanted to swim in the ocean?"

"Well…I mean, not exactly."

Finn smiled slowly at her. "I told you not to watch _Jaws_ by yourself."

She giggled. "It was on while I was packing! I was busy…I didn't even realize it was on until that _stupid_ tune came on."

Finn bit his lip as he smiled. "Ohh, you mean…this one? Daa-dum, daaaa-dum…"

Rachel giggled as Finn horribly tried to sound out the classic _Jaws_ theme song, slowly inching towards her. His voice got faster and faster as he came towards her and swooped her up in his arms.

She squealed and hooked her arms around his neck as rushed into the ocean, holding onto her tightly.

"Finn, no!"

He went underwater with her, making sure he didn't let her go. He came back up and flicked his head to the side, whipping his hair to the left.

Rachel shivered in his arms, the waves coming up and lapping at her stomach. She laughed loudly and looked at him, pushing on his chest.

"I should have known!" She looked down at the water under her, there were a few small fish swimming around his ankles. "Oh, Finn! Look!"

He smiled and looked at his feet and saw tadpoles and tiny fish, nothing special—those were a typical sight for anyone who has been to the ocean and went knee deep. But Rachel was fascinated by them and he found it utterly adorable—his stomach filled with butterflies.

"Yeah, Rach. We're in an ocean." He joked with her, going to set her down.

She bit her lip as her ankles went into the water; he smirked as the water came up to her waist—while he was only thigh deep. He loved how tiny she was compared to him—it made him want to curl her up in his arms and never let her go.

Rachel inched closer to him as waves lapped onto her back, pushing past her to the shoreline. She grabbed onto his forearm as she looked down into the water. She curled her toes into the wet sand, smiling widely as little fish grazed her ankles.

"Wow." He heard her say, amazed.

"Pretty cool, huh?" He asked her as she looked up at him, "And no sharks in sight!"

She laughed and covered her mouth, looking over at Kurt and Mercedes who were a little further down the shoreline, going underwater every now and then. She watched as some people even further down from Kurt and Mercedes surf the waves, some of them boogie boarding to shore.

"I've always wanted to do that!"

Finn followed her line of sight. "Surf?"

"Uh, no, the other one…what's it called?"

"Boogie boarding."

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that's the one."

"Oh, well I can teach you how to do that, it's really easy."

Rachel looked up at him, a stronger wave pushing her into his chest. He chuckled and caught her as she swayed off balance.

"Really? Would we have to go out really far?"

He shook his head. "Not too far but…far enough that we can catch a wave in."

She bit her lip and he smiled. "I won't let any sharks get you."

"Okay, deal!"

Finn grinned as Rachel took hold of his hand to shake it—and didn't let go even when he had to go back to the towels to grab the board.

0o0o0o0o00

He made sure he securely wrapped the Velcro strap around her left ankle before heading back into the water with her. He gave her the board and told her float on it, and told her to kick her feet as the water got deeper. Finn knew how to tread water so he didn't need anything to float on—and they weren't going very deep so the sand bottom was only, like, a few inches away from his feet.

"Okay, now we just have to wait for a big enough wave."

"I'm nervous." Rachel grunted as she slid off the board and he smirked, wrapping an arm around her waist and lifting her so she could get a better handle on the boogie board.

"Don't be, it's so easy." He smiled and let go of her waist but put a comforting hand on her arm. "Okay, so when I tell you 'go' just start kicking towards the shore, as fast as you can."

"Won't the wave tip me over?"

He smiled. "It might the first try. Just remember to blow out your nose if you go under."

She pouted. "I hate getting water up my nose."

He resisted the urge to tap or kiss her nose. "Me too."

Finn looked towards the shore to see his mom and Burt showing up at the towels with their swim suits on. He smiled as his mom spotted him and waved. He waved back and pointed at Rachel—telling his mom she was trying to boogie board. Rachel giggled as his mom gave her the thumbs up.

Finn looked behind him and smiled. "Alright, ready?"

She squealed, laughing. "No!"

He chuckled. "One…two…three…" He bit his lip as the wave inched forward. "Go!"

Rachel kicked as hard as she could, pushing away from the wave. The wave eventually caught up with her and picked her up but since she was kicking she moved with the wave and it took her all the way to shore, where she tail-spinned into the sand.

Finn dove under water and swam to shore, waves hitting him in his back as he stood up to full height. He rushed over to a laughing Rachel, who was on her back on the sand—waves coming up and swishing around her head. It made her hair sprawl out like a halo.

"I give her ten outta ten!" His mom cheered and Finn laughed, helping a dazed Rachel up—she was covered in sand.

"Thanks, Carol!" Rachel beamed at him. "How was it?"

"You were awesome! I told you you could do it, wasn't that bad, right?"

She smiled and hugged him around his waist. "Right."

He smiled softly and leaned down to hug her back, not wanting to pull away from her first. She eventually pulled back, looking up at him while biting her lower lip. He swallowed and smiled softly, gently tapping her nose with his finger.

"Wanna try again?"

"How bout lunch first, guys? You hungry?"

Finn shrugged. "I can always eat!"

His mom and Rachel laughed at the same time and he saw Kurt and Mercedes make their way down the beach towards them. He couldn't believe it was lunch time already, which meant it had to be at least noon or one…this vacation was already going too fast.

He watched Rachel undo the Velcro strap on her ankle. "Why don't you wash off before you eat?" He told her. "You look like a sand monster."

"_You're_ the sand monster!" She threw back at him and he snorted, taking the board from her before she went back in the water to try and get most of the sand off her skin.

Finn waited for her to come back out and walked back to the towel with her. He sat next to her and smiled as Kurt wrapped a towel around her shoulders, which fell around her waist as she animatedly talked about her boogie boarding experience.

He half wondered if Rachel had forgotten about Sam when she smiled at him or when her arm leaned a little into his side as she talked to his mom about what was for lunch or when she asked Mercedes if she saw any seashells that were worth taking home.

By the end of the lunch, Rachel was curled up on the towel, nearly falling asleep as the sun and food in her belly made her drowsy. She was in between him and Kurt while Finn sat up and drank Pepsi, watching his mom and Burt fool around in the waves of the ocean like they were seventeen again. He loved seeing her so happy…even though the thought of her and Burt kind of creeped him out at first.

Rachel finally dozed off while Kurt talked about Blaine and finding him the perfect souvenir and continued to Mercedes when he realized Rachel was no longer a willing participant in his conversation. He glanced down at Rachel as turned on her side to face him, snoring softly. Her hand gently gripped Finn's swim trunks in her sleep.

And she said his name again, a dreamy smile on her lips.

Finn had forgotten all about Sam too.

Ooo0o0o0

Thanks for reading :)


	19. Chapter 19

Yeah, so I kind of dragged out the beach into two chapters because there were so many small things I wanted to do so…I didn't want to make chapter 18 like 20 pages long XD Enjoy!

Thanks for all the reviews, adds and messages :)  
o0o0o0o0o

Chapter 19

Rachel was quiet on the way back from the beach. He helped his mom and Burt carry the towels and chairs back into the house while Kurt and Mercedes went straight up into the kitchen to grab snack food to munch on. He frowned as he watched Rachel slowly go down the hall into their room.

He glanced at his mom and ran a hand through his hair, setting the chairs down against the wall. "Hey, mom, did Rachel say anything to you while I was in the water?"

Finn had left the towel to go into the water one more time before they headed back to the house. Rachel had been up trying to make a sandcastle with Kurt—and both were failing horribly. They were using too much water and the castle was falling between their fingertips…it was entertaining to watch though.

When he came back out of the water and back to the towel, helping everyone gather stuff up, Rachel was kind of quiet. He was sort of worried because she had been having such a nice time and all of a sudden something shifted and she was upset. Maybe it was nothing…maybe it was just all in his head.

Burt kissed Carol on the cheek and headed upstairs. "She said her back was bothering her, she might have sunburn."

Finn winced. "I put sunblock on her."

She shrugged and searched in the one bag for something. "Sometimes the sun is stronger than you think or the sunblock fades in the water. I can't find the aloe. It might be in the bathroom."

Finn nodded and walked down the hall to their room. Rachel was sitting on his bed with the bunny he had won for her in the carnival sitting on her lap, his fat chubby hands in hers.

"Hey, look, Frankelton made the trip to the beach." He smiled and sat next to her. "And here I thought he got carsick." He teased, making her smile softly.

Rachel looked over at him as he gently bumped his shoulder against hers. "You alright?" He asked her softly.

"My shoulders and back _kill_." She whispered.

He frowned and swallowed down his guilt. He felt like it was his fault—he should have put a higher number on her or…covered more of her back instead of checking her out, or at least reapplied after she had got out of the ocean.

"I'm sorry, Rach. I should have—"

"It's not your fault just," She winced as she moved to stand up. "Price I pay for a day at the beach."

She smiled at him and reached up to set Frankelton on her bed and slowly took her cover up off.

He stood up and set his shirt on his bed, standing in front of her in just his trunks. He swallowed as he looked over her body, the skin on her back and shoulders an angry shade of red.

He wished that this was a different moment (a special, intimate moment that was shared between two people)—that her bikini was her underwear and bra…that he was in his boxers. He wished he had never broken up with her, never let her go and fall into the arms of another guy. He still wanted her, every part of her. Finn wanted to love her, kiss her, be so intertwined with her that he couldn't tell their two bodies apart. It was so cheesy and Puck would cut off his balls and then kill him if he ever muttered a word of that out loud but…he couldn't help how she made him feel.

"You're gonna feel a lot worse after your shower and use lukewarm—"

"Finn, I appreciate your concern but I've gotten sunburn before." She smiled softly as she went into her suitcase and pulled out a pair of soft blue shorts and a white tank top.

Finn blushed. "Oh, right. Sorry." He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. She smiled and closed her suitcase. "There are towels in the bathroom."

Rachel nodded. "Thank you, Finn."

"You're having a good time right? Even though, I uh…kinda let the sun burn you like overbaked chocolate chip cookies in the oven?"

She laughed. "You are the only one I know who would use a cookie analogy to describe sunburn." He just smiled…trying to remember what the hell an analogy was. "I _am_ having a great time." She nodded, coming up closer to him. "I'm really glad that you invited me."

It wasn't like he had a million choices—she was the only one in the whole world that he wanted to spend time with (even more than Megan Fox in a bikini…). But he didn't say that.

"I'm just really glad your dad said you could go. Has he called or anything?"

"I checked my phone when we came back and he just sent me a text that said, 'I hope you're having fun' with a heart and smiley face."

"No word about your dad and how he's doing?"

Rachel swallowed and looked at her feet, shrugging one shoulder. "I'm guessing he's the same."

Finn bit his lower lip and sighed softly. He really hoped Mr. Leroy would get out of this in one piece because…he really couldn't imagine how Rachel would handle everything if her dad died.

He took her hand and squeezed it briefly. "Well, if you hear anything let me know."

She smiled. "You're sweet."

He winked playfully as he dropped her hand. "I've been told that."

She giggled and shook her head, walking past him to head to the bathroom. He ran a hand through his hair, walking towards the bed as he heard her turn the shower on. He smiled softly as he saw Frankelton lying against the pillow, his fat pink belly crinkling as he was hunched over. He pulled himself up onto Rachel's bed and sat down, picking up the bunny.

From all the bad stuff that had happened that night…he honestly had expected her to throw the bunny away or give it to Goodwill. Rachel really liked stuffed animals though so, okay, maybe there was the tiniest possibility she'd keep it after their fight. But bringing it on this vacation with her? What did that mean?

"What do you think, man, do I have a chance?" He asked the bunny.

The bunny stared back at him, black beaded eyes obviously not showing any shift of emotion or secret answer that Finn was looking for. He shook his head and sighed, running a hand through his hair…he was talking to a _stuffed bunny. _

He set the bunny back down on Rachel's pillow and jumped to the floor. When he jumped down the bed shook, causing Frankelton to fall over on his front. Finn smirked humorlessly and looked at the overturned bunny, seeming to get his answer.

Yeah. He didn't really think he had a chance with Rachel either.

0o0o0o0o

Rachel helped his mom clean up after dinner—Burt had made amazing food out on the deck grill. Kurt and Rachel shared a huge barbeque chicken salad while everyone else had burgers. He sat at the table and watched Rachel smile at his mom and small talk with her over how amazing the beach had been earlier that day. He could tell how sore she was from her sunburn—every time she overstretched her arms or moved in a way where her bra straps grazed her shoulders she'd wince or frown.

He wished he had put more sunblock on her…he hated to see her in any pain that could have totally been avoided. He sighed and leaned back, his attention turning to Kurt and Mercedes as they fought over the remote, trying to find something to watch.

"It's still early, why don't you all head down to the boardwalk for ice cream or something?" His mom suggested. "Just be back before eleven."

Finn raised his eyebrows and looked at Rachel to see if she was interested. She smiled at him and then turned to his mom. "Are you sure you don't need any help cleaning up?"

Carol shook her head and shooed Rachel out of the kitchen. "You're too sweet for your own good, dear."

Rachel smiled widely and blushed, curling hair around her ear. "Okay, boardwalk it is then. I have to go get ready."

Finn watched her head down the stairs and waited a few minutes before standing. "You two coming?"

Kurt and Mercedes shared a look—Finn knew they were scheming with his eyes closed. He sighed as Kurt smiled at him and shrugged his one shoulder.

"No, I think we'll stay here. Mercedes and I want to watch T.V."

He raised his one eyebrow. "You two want to watch T.V over boardwalk fried Oreos?" He couldn't believe this—what were these two trying to do?

Mercedes scoffed. "_Harry Potter_ is on, Finn. Oreos can wait."

Kurt nodded ecstatically and started talking about how Blaine had dressed up as Harry Potter once for a party. Finn left to go downstairs before Kurt went too into depth about how insanely gorgeous his boyfriend had looked with glasses on.

He knocked on the closed bedroom door, waiting to see if Rachel was decent before he walked in. He heard her moan in frustration and then whimper.

"Rachel? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" He frowned at her annoyed, teary response.

"You don't sound it, can I come in?"

He could hear her pout through the door. "I guess so."

He pushed open the door and smiled softly as he saw her on his bed, her arms folded across her chest in an annoyed fashion. She had on a pretty yellow sundress—which made her sunburn look even redder than it did before.

"What's the matter?"

She sighed softly. "I can't be naked in public, that's what's the matter."

His eyes widened and nearly choked on his own spit. "_What_?"

She looked up at him and sighed again, rather dramatically. "My sunburn hurts! Anything that rests on my shoulders feels like my skin is being scratched with fly paper."

He sat down on the bed next to her. "You have a dress that doesn't have straps?"

Rachel bit her lip and nodded softly. "I do but…I don't like to wear it."

He frowned. "Why? Sounds like it'd be perfect; it wouldn't hurt your shoulders. You can put aloe on them too so it stings less."

She swallowed and looked down at her lap, twisting her fingers. "I don't look pretty in it."

Finn sighed. "I find that very hard to believe."

She smiled softly and curled her hair around her ear. "Well, I don't _feel_ pretty in it then and my, uhm, my boobs aren't big enough to look nice in a tube dress."

He bit his lip and shook his head. He really hated when she looked down on herself. She was gorgeous. "I may be…overstepping the friendship line but I uh, I think your boobs are really awesome." He was surprised when he heard her giggle softly.

He smiled and continued. "And you shouldn't let anyone make you feel like you aren't beautiful when you _are_. So wear whatever you want."

Rachel smiled softly. "Thank you, Finn." She said softly. "Will you unzip me?"

She turned around on the bed and Finn steadied his shaking fingers before pulling the zipper down. She didn't have bra on. He swallowed and stood up, getting a pair of shorts and a blue polo to take into the bathroom with him to change.

He hurriedly changed into his clothes and waited to make sure Rachel was fully dressed again before opening the door. He smiled at her and waved the bottle of aloe lotion at her. She sat on the bed, pulling her hair up into a bun and he sat behind her.

The tube dress she had on was sky blue and it flowed down to rest above her knees. The top of it was form fitting, gently hugging her tiny waist and small (but awesome) breasts. He didn't get why girls were self-conscious about their boob size…sure, guys had preferences but they were _boobs_ for Christ's sake.

He squeezed out some of the green aloe into his hands, rubbing it together. "This is going to be cold."

She smiled. "Good, it'll feel nice then—my skin is so hot."

Finn licked his lips and smiled. Her skin wasn't the only thing that was hot. He ran his open hands over her shoulders, his thumbs dipping back behind her neck. She sighed softly and shivered, her skin getting goosebumps under his palms. He shifted in his seat and cleared his throat, his dick getting antsy in his pants.

_Concentrate,_ Finn repeated in his head as he rubbed her shoulders, gently massaging the aloe into her skin. He pulled his hands back and Rachel pulled her hair down, it fluttered around her shoulders, licking her skin.

"You brought Frankelton." Finn blurted out—his anti-stupidity leak mechanism.

Instead of saying something about her awesome breasts or the fact that his pants had gotten tighter, a comment about the carnival bunny had fallen out of his mouth instead. He nonchalantly pulled a pillow into his lap, smiling softly at her.

She bit her lip and nodded. "I did."

"I just…I didn't think you'd keep him."

She twirled her hair softly in her fingers. "I considered getting rid of it but I couldn't, I gave him a name and everything. I can't give him away when he already has a name." She crossed her arms over her chest again.

Finn smirked softly. "You could have if you really wanted to, Rach."

"He has feelings." Rachel smiled slowly at him. "I couldn't hurt him like that."

He laughed as she stood up, going to look for shoes near her bag. She slid on brown wedged sandals that made her a bit taller—they looked like death traps, how the hell was she going to walk in those things?

"Are you going to be able to walk all night in those? Don't even think that I'm going to walk you allll the way back here before we're due for curfew." He joked, winking at her.

She giggled and fixed the straps on her sandals and stood to full height—she maybe made it up to his collar bone…but barely. He found it excruciatingly adorable.

"When I win a Tony and or Grammy Award and have to walk up on stage to accept I will have to learn how to be in ridiculous heels I can't walk in! So this is a bit of practice."

She beamed at him and went to walk forward—Finn should have seen this coming—and completely tripped over a piece of carpet that was sticking up. Finn moved one giant step towards her and caught her before she could fall over. He smiled as he felt her giggling against his chest.

"This is going to be a long night. Just make sure you stay next to me unless you _want_ to kiss the floor."

She wrinkled her nose. "I would like to do no such thing." Rachel huffed, pushing herself up from Finn. "I am perfectly capable of walking in these shoes."

Finn snorted. "If I wouldn't have just caught you just then you'd be making out with the floor."

"What is your obsession with me making out with inanimate objects…especially the floor?" Rachel poked his chest, grabbing her purse.

Finn swallowed and rubbed his back a little nervously—well, he kind of _had_ been thinking about her mouth a lot…not exactly on the floor but…on something else.

He shifted as his cock twitched in attention. "Okay, time to go." He said suddenly, gently pulling on her arm to leave the room.

He pulled her so fast around the corner that she tripped over her heels again…and brought her down with him.

0o0o0o0o0o

"How's your bruise?"

"My butt is fine, thank you."

Finn smirked. "Want me to check and make sure?"

She scoffed and pushed his arm as they walked down the boardwalk side by side. "Finn Hudson! Do I even have to remind how I got this bruise? I'm still not sure why we had to rush out of our bedroom at breakneck speed."

Because he was pretty sure she would have seen the beginnings of a raging hard-on in his pants—luckily everything had been under control after she had fallen. Finn had landed right next to her and he thanked Cheesus eight times that he hadn't landed _on_ her. Something told him that telling Mr. and Mr. Berry about why their daughter had a broken bone or something because he fell on her seemed like it would be a bit hard to explain.

"I uh, just wanted to make sure no one…bought all the fried Oreos before we could get some." Lame, lame excuse—luckily she wasn't really focusing on that.

She scrunched her nose. "I've never had one of those before."

Finn blinked—and tried not to focus on how her arm had casually latched onto his as they walked. "Really? Well you have to try one—they're like heaven in your mouth. Only problem is, you can't have just one."

"They're that good?" She asked, looking up at him.

Finn smiled. "Rach, anything deep-fried is going to be _that good_."

She shook her head and smiled. "I'll take your word for it."

"We're sharing some," He warned her. "So prepare yourself."

He smiled as he heard her giggle, squeezing on his arm as they walked down the boardwalk. They shared a comfortable silence, watching children run across the panels of wood under their feet with ice cream and snow cones. The boardwalk was filled with people that had come to visit the beaches—some were trying to control their children, others were taking pictures against the railings—getting the night ocean view in the background. Finn looked at the strands of carnival lights lining the boardwalk, the lights just bright enough so everyone could see but dim enough that it created a somewhat romantic glow.

He glanced over at Rachel, who was looking around like he was—but he could tell there was some kind of admiration on her face (it was obvious that it was her first time down here on the boardwalk). She looked so pretty in her light blue dress and high heels that she didn't need (because he liked how tiny she was…and her legs were already killer without the help of fancy shoes). He wanted to place small kisses on her sunburn, make her feel better because even though he put the aloe on, he knew sunburn was a bitch and it pretty much hurt until it faded into a tan.

"Why do you think Kurt and Mercedes didn't want to come with us?" Rachel spoke up, making him take his eyes off her shoulders.

Finn shrugged. Because they were _scheming—_he didn't understand the point though. Rachel had a boyfriend and he was…he was just, yeah okay, he was single but that didn't really matter since the only girl he wanted to be with was taken.

"I don't know," Finn looked down at her. "_Harry Potter_ was on and...I know that when it comes to Kurt you just don't mess with three things." Finn brought his hand up to count on his fingers.

"One is his bathroom time in the morning. One time I took up ten minutes of his time because I fell asleep in the shower and he threw a lotion bottle at me." Rachel giggled. "Two is never mess with his hair spray...I uh, tried to use it as a bug repellent once." Rachel laughed, louder than the last time—covering her mouth with her one hand.

Finn blushed. "This was a _killer_ spider—it looked like it could eat have eaten puppies! I reached for something and Kurt's hairspray was the first thing I grabbed! He made me pay for a new bottle…shit was so expensive."

"He really does use expensive products," Rachel added, smiling. "His hair looks flawless though."

Finn chuckled. "Third is just—don't mess with Harry Potter, at all. He's obsessed. Burt told me and my mom that Kurt actually waited for an owl to fly him a letter to tell him that he got accepted to Hogwarts when he was eleven."

"Aw!" Rachel blushed "That's really quite cute."

"It never came though, obviously but..." He was silent for a few minutes and then licked his lips. "I kinda feel like...like that's how college is going to be for me." He admitted softly, trying to preoccupy himself so he wouldn't meet her gaze. His eyes found a couple rushing into a photobooth. "Like I'll wait for acceptance letters to come but they never will."

But of course, he should have suspected it, Rachel replied with unshakable faith in him. "That's not true Finn." She stopped and waited until he looked at her. He turned slowly and looked down at her, smiling softly. His heart fluttered in the amount of unwavering confidence she had for him. How could she see him like that?

"You'll see. You can get into any college you want. You're capable of working hard...and you're a passionate person. You're special." She said softly. "More than Lima…_better_ than Lima." She nodded. "I believe in you."

He smiled widely and squashed the urge to kiss her. "Thanks Rach. It really means a lot to me that you believe in me so much." He took the hand that was wrapped around his arm and squeezed it.

Sometimes it felt like she was the only one who believed in him and everything. His mom loved him and stuff but…she wouldn't bat an eyelash if he only could get into a community college. She even gave him a talk about how much more comfortable he would be in Lima Community college compared to a college in New York (basically she just didn't want him to get his hopes up about getting into a better college).

But he _could_ do it. Just like Rachel said—all he had to do was be passionate, work hard and earn it. If he wanted it bad enough he could make it happen.

He glanced at Rachel as they walked down the boardwalk to the fried Oreo stand. Warmth built in his stomach, shooting up and blooming in his chest—the feeling he got when he thought about how Rachel cared about him, to support him even though he'd been an ass to her recently, even though she was taken and they were just friends.

She believed in him like she still loved him.

He breathed in and smiled softly, getting his wallet out to pay for the Oreos—he realized he could do just about anything with Rachel believing in him.

O0o0o0o0

Thank you so much for all the reviews, encouragement and kind words :) The next chapter is the last segment of the beach vacation. I wrote so much for this beach I couldn't fit it all into one lol


	20. Chapter 20

Enjoy chapter 20 :) This story is nearing its end, I think there might be five or so chapters left….who knows ;D

O0o0o0o0o0

It was nearing ten-thirty before he knew it; time really flew when he was with Rachel. They had gotten fried Oreos—and Rachel had covered herself in powdered sugar. He had smiled when she tried to get all of it off her face and Finn finally just had to take some of the condensation off their cup of shared Pepsi and wipe it off for her. He guessed she had liked them because it was five dollars for four Oreos and she had eaten two of them—eyeing up one of his. He had let her have it because those puppy dog eyes and pout of hers were too much to handle.

Finn showed her the gift shop, letting her head in first so he could hold the door for her and a few other girls behind her. They giggled and smiled at him, thanking him shyly. The gift shop was packed; it was the only tourist shop on the boardwalk so everyone vacationing was getting in there before it could close for the night.

Rachel looked for post cards for her fathers and Sam, flipping through a few with beaches on them. When Finn was little his mom used to take him here all the time so he could send his grandmother postcards and buy his aunt bottles full of sand and seashells. The last few years he didn't really buy any souvenirs but it was Rachel's first time, she _had_ to visit the gift shop.

He glanced at Rachel, who was biting her lip and looking at some of the prices of seashells in a bottle. He sighed softly as he looked over some tacky frames with plastic dolphins on them. Finn went around the display case and smiled at the girls he had held the door open for before. They were across the room—smiling and flirting with him with their eyes. They giggled and chatted with each other as Finn looked away.

It wasn't like Finn didn't notice other girls. He knew that to an outside view it looked like he only liked two girls in his entire high school life but he had been into other people too. There had been this adorable girl in his art class who liked to paint cats and he knew a cheerleader in his gym class that had a really great smile. He had almost dated Rebecca, a girl in his social studies class Freshmen year before he had met Quinn but she moved away before he had a chance to ask her out.

So, yeah, of course he noticed other girls. Usually he saw how pretty a girl's smile was or the color of her eyes—and if she had a nice ass. But unfortunately…something he'd been doing lately was really destroying the image of every girl he noticed. He was comparing them to Rachel. Everyone knew he thought Rachel was beautiful. And it wasn't that other girls he had noticed weren't pretty and stuff but…all he could think about was that they didn't have Rachel's shiny hair, or gorgeous voice, deep chocolate brown eyes, light pink soft lips, long legs that went on for miles, a heart shaped ass, or perfect breasts that fit in his hands like pieces finding their places in a puzzle. It was a real problem. It made it hard for him to even consider moving on when he couldn't get over how much he was in love with her.

Finn walked over to where Rachel had been looking for postcards but…she wasn't there. He frowned and turned around, trying to place his ex-girlfriend in the crowd of people.

"Rachel?"

He went down an aisle of portable grills and flip-flops with sea life on them (why the hell they were in the same aisle was beyond him) and turned left. He thought maybe she'd be near the jewelry—they had, like, shark teeth and seashells on anklets.

"Aw, shh, don't cry. What's your name?"

He heard her voice and stopped, turning around and going back to the right. He saw Rachel down by the kid's toys, crouching down near a little girl that couldn't have been older than three. She was crying pretty hard, holding a doll in one of her hands. She looked at Rachel, scared and confused.

"Waa my maaaam."

She frowned as Finn approached. "I know sweetie, I know. What's your name? We can find your mom together." Rachel cooed softly, so gentle and tender—it kind of made Finn's stomach flutter for some random reason.

The kid was obviously lost. With how overcrowded the gift shop got he was surprised more kids didn't get separated from their parents.

Finn kneeled down and smiled sweetly at the little girl. "My name is Finn, this is Rachel." He spoke slowly. "Is that your dollie?"

She sniffled and looked at her doll and blushed at Finn. "Y-yes." She hiccupped. Rachel reached into her small purse for a tissue and tried to wipe some of the tears off the girl's face.

Finn smiled. "Well she's very pretty. What's her name?"

"Moyy." She sniffled again and clutched the doll softly to her chest.

"Molly?" The girl nodded and looked around, bright blue eyes filling with tears again. Finn licked his lips. "Can I see her?"

The girl looked at Finn and her face covered in blush. She slowly handed Finn her doll and he smiled, making the doll kiss Rachel's cheek with an overdramatic kissing noise. Rachel smiled slowly and Finn felt successful when the little girl giggled softly—tears temporarily forgotten.

He handed the doll back to her. "Your doll seems to like my friend."

The girl smiled at Rachel and handed her the doll to hold. Rachel gasped like it was the best thing in the world. "Well thank you!"

"What's your name, sweetie?" Finn asked again. _One thing you have to know about little kids is when to be patient._ He had cousins that were around three and five—patience was a huge part (_otherwise you get frustrated to the point of pulling your hair out_).

"Lucceee." She said, drawing out her sounds as she watched Rachel smooth out Molly's dress.

"Lucy," Rachel said smiling, "That's a pretty name."

"Ma mommeee sass it's a pincess name." Lucy beamed.

She kind of looked like a princess—like, what was the one that pricked her finger on a sewing kit or something…? Oh, Sleeping Beauty. That was it. Lucy had bright blonde hair which was braided into pigtails and a pink sundress on with little flowered sandals that matched.

Finn chuckled. "It _is_ a princess name! Perfect for a prince charming." He tickled her softly and Rachel handed her doll back to her. Lucy giggled and clutched the doll close to her.

"Do you remember where the last place you saw your mommy?"

Lucy bit her lower lip and looked around, her features falling into states of confusion and fear again. She was little and everything around her was so tall—towering over her and scaring her. Not to mention it was loud and there were swarms of people running around trying to get to the cash register before the next person.

Finn felt his heart clench. He remembered he got lost in a Wal-mart once when he was six—it was the scariest thing that had ever happened to him. He knew how the girl felt…at least a little bit.

"Hey, its okay if you don't remember, we'll find her okay? I'm sure she's looking everywhere for you." Finn said softly, smiling at her. He looked at Rachel. "Why don't we take her up front to one of the cash registers and see if her parents are there. If not maybe they could make an announcement on the loudspeaker."

Rachel smiled at him. "Good idea."

Her smile was different somehow…loving, like—she was touched deep inside or something, like she saw him in a different light.

Finn looked at Lucy. "Rachel is going to pick you up okay? I don't want you getting lost in all the people."

Lucy looked at Rachel unsure, pulling on her doll's hand. She looked back at Finn and walked towards him, stretching her arms up.

Rachel smirked. "Looks like a princess has a small crush on a prince."

Finn blushed and gently picked the tiny girl up in his arms, standing up to his full height. He shifted her so he was holding her snuggly against his side, her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs hanging loosely near his side.

He made sure she was hanging onto her doll before he started towards the front of the store, Rachel trailing behind him. The cash register was flooded with a long line—no surprise there. Finn swore the only reason the boardwalk was so vacant was because everyone was in this tiny store looking for presents for the loved ones that hadn't been to the beach with them.

He sighed. He couldn't wait in this line—they had to find her parents before they left the store. He looked at Rachel as Lucy put her head on Finn's shoulder.

"Will you take her? I'm gonna go up to the front and try to talk to someone or find a manager."

"Of course."

Lucy whined softly as Finn pulled her back from him—he found it adorable that this little girl had developed a crush on him in such a short amount of time. It didn't surprise him though—his neighbor's small son Robby had had a huge crush on Quinn when he had introduced her at a get-together his mom had been having a few summers ago. Toddlers tended to live in the now and developed huge crushes or attachments to random things until something better came along. Robby had forgotten all about Quinn when cake had been set in front of him.

"I'll be right back," He assured her as Lucy wrapped her arms around Rachel's neck. Rachel held her close to her body, making sure she wasn't about to fall or anything. He smiled as the girl gave a small pout. "You're safe with Rachel."

Rachel didn't even seem offended that Lucy preferred him to her—actually she looked highly amused.

Finn smiled at Rachel. "Be right back."

He turned away and started to push through the line. Finn smiled as he heard Lucy call Rachel "really pretty" before he got out of earshot. He smirked and shook his head—the girl was smart to say the least. He got up to the front of the store and managed to locate a manager. He told him that they had found a lost girl in the toy's section named Lucy. The manager told Finn to go stand back with the girl near the display for kitchenware with pictures of seals on them until they located the girl's parents.

Finn checked the time as he headed back to where Rachel was with Lucy, it was ten minutes to eleven. They probably weren't going to make curfew time—but he was pretty sure his mom would understand why after they explained. It wasn't like they were out getting drunk or having sex on the beach…not that Finn hadn't thought about that second part.

Finn smiled softly as he heard Rachel singing softly to Lucy as he approached them.

"_A dream is a wish, your heart makes  
when you're fast asleep." _

He watched Rachel gently rock Lucy from side to side. The little girl looked so tired—it _was_ going on eleven after all. He really hoped the manager found her parents soon.

"_No matter how your heart is grieving  
if you keep on believing…"_

She connected eyes with Finn and smiled, blushing softly as she finished the verse.

"_The dream that you wish…will come true." _

"Are you a pincess?" Lucy asked, stifling a yawn as she rested her head on Rachel's shoulder.

Rachel laughed. "Do I look like one?"

Lucy nodded. "Iiii Fiiinn you pince?"

She blushed darkly and looked up at Finn. Finn stood next to Rachel and smiled at Lucy.

"I, I uhm," Rachel stumbled, looking from Finn to Lucy. He chuckled softly as Lucy seemed to perk up as she saw him. "Y-yeah, sure." Rachel smiled. "Finn is my prince."

Finn raised his eyebrows—he was? Was she just trying to calm the little girl or did she think Lucy wouldn't understand if she went into the whole 'Finn is my ex-prince. My real prince is at home, in Lima Kingdom. His name is Sam and he has big lips and blonde hair'.

Finn smirked and gently bumped his arm with hers. There was a joke brewing on his lips about how he'd be her prince anytime but Lucy's parents showed up—crying, with faces full of gratefulness and relief. They took Lucy from Rachel's arms and laughed when Lucy animatedly told them that Rachel and Finn were a prince and princess.

Lucy's parents thanked them numerous times and hugged Rachel once before they left, Lucy waving bye to him as they went through the door.

Finn smiled softly. "She was so cute."

Rachel smirked. "Yeah, she seemed to really take a liking to you."

"Are you jealous?" Finn joked, gently poking her side.

Rachel laughed and swatted his hand away. "In your dreams."

She walked past him to get a few postcards off the rack so they could leave. If they left in ten minutes they'd only be twenty minutes late for curfew. The line was dialing down because everyone was shuffling out, the store closed in a half of an hour—so maybe they'd be out of there sooner.

Rachel chose two postcards—one with a whale underwater that said "Wish you were here" and a scenic picture of a beach. He guessed the whale one was for Sam.

He watched her buy the postcards and smile at the cashier, laughing softly as the girl embarrassed her because she said she really liked her dress and wondered where she got it. Finn couldn't help but smile as he heard her laugh and his mind wandered to the image of Rachel holding Lucy in her arms, singing her that catchy song from _Cinderella_.

The idea of Rachel holding a little girl like that, singing to lull her to sleep, trying to make her feel better when she was crying, the fact that her voice got incredibly soft and tender while she spoke to her made something curl in Finn's belly—something warm that made his stomach erupt in butterflies.

It was too soon for Finn to ever think about babies…or having them with someone. If anything had come from Quinn's pregnancy (even though it didn't turn out to be his) it was that he was too young to be having kids, even if it was with someone he loved.

But in the future? When he was older (and hopefully wiser), went through school and had a steady job and a house of his own…

He glanced at Rachel as she walked towards him.

…and a perfect girlfriend moving onto marriage with him. One day. Maybe one day.

Rachel would be the perfect mom and Finn wanted to be with her until the day he died. Marriage and children? He never thought he'd be thinking about that with anyone—but Rachel was different, special.

Kinda like his soulmate.

So, yeah. He couldn't deny that he hadn't thought about it.

O0o0o0o

Finn turned in bed. Everyone had been asleep when he and Rachel had gotten back—which only meant his mom was going to yell at him in the _morning_. He had been asleep for about an hour—the lower bunk of the bunk bed was kind of…springy. Like, he could feel the springs dig into his back a little. He looked up at the bed above him. He hoped Rachel wasn't too uncomfortable. At least the bed was big enough for Finn to fit in—he wasn't falling off the sides or his feet weren't hanging off the mattress.

He sighed softly and noticed that rain was pelting the window outside, he could hear it pound against the roof too. He hadn't remembered the weather team calling for thunderstorms (but then again they always got the goddamn weather wrong more times than not). At least it was getting it out of its system now—he wanted tomorrow to be nice and sunny for the beach. They only had two more days here; he really didn't want to spend it inside waiting for the rain to clear.

Finn shifted on the bed and slowly got out to make sure he didn't make any sound—maybe a glass of warm milk would help him fall asleep. He wanted to check on Rachel anyways because he knew how she felt about storms. He pushed the blankets back on the bed and looked for her in her bunk—he frowned. She wasn't there. Lightening lit up the whole room for a second as thunder crackled, shaking the house a bit. Even Frankelton wasn't on her bed.

He left the room and quietly made his way upstairs to the kitchen, turning on the light to get a glass out. Then he heard it. A soft sniffling.

He frowned and turned around, seeing Rachel curled up in the corner of the couch. She had a blanket over her legs and Frankelton was sitting beside her. Her phone was on the table, screen side down while…while tears poured freely down her face. She was ignoring him—the kitchen and living room were side by side. There was no way that she hadn't seen him. Finn's stomach twisted, filling him with a sick feeling.

"Rach?" He said softly, walking over to her.

He kneeled down on the floor to be eyelevel with her and gently put his hand on her knee. "You could have woken me up if the storm was bothering you this much."

She shook her head, sighing softly. He hated seeing her cry—he really fucking hated it. "No, it's not that. I mean, it's bad outside but…" She shook her head again, her lower lip wobbling.

Finn swallowed. If it wasn't the storm…that sick feeling twisted in his stomach again. "What's wrong? Something happen with your dad?"

A tear slid down Rachel's cheek and Finn reached up and removed it with his thumb. "No," Rachel choked out. "No."

He remained patient, relieved that something hadn't happened to her dad in the middle of the night. But…something was still making her very upset…he had no idea what it could have been. It wasn't the storm and it wasn't her dad so what were the tears for?

"Sam…broke up with m-me." She sobbed.

Finn's emotions didn't know what they were doing. He was…relived, happy, excited, heartbroken for Rachel and sad to see her cry all at once. But then again he also wanted to punch the living daylights out of Sam for breaking up with Rachel over the _phone_.

"What?" He said softly, just for good measure. Maybe he hadn't heard her right—there was no use getting too excited until he was sure.

She sniffled as more tears continued to fall down her cheeks. Finn stood up and shifted Frankelton over so he could sit next to her.

"I woke up because of the thunder and…checked my phone to make sure my dad didn't text me about daddy. There—there was a text from Sam saying that we needed to ta-talk." He took her hand and squeezed it softly. "It wasn't sent that long ago so I texted back that I missed him."

She shook her head, closing her eyes—another sob threatening to push itself out of her throat.

"He called me and broke up with me. He was so nice about it—he still wants to be friends and go to p-prom together but I just—I can't—" Rachel broke off, crying so hard that it was disfiguring her speech.

Finn leaned forward and gathered her into his arms, shushing her softly as she pushed her face into his chest. His one hand stroked her back, avoiding her sunburned shoulders, while the other stroked her hair. He rested his lips on top of her head, closing his eyes as her sobs shook his body. This felt all too familiar and Finn couldn't help but think of the last time he had held her on a couch as she cried.

He couldn't believe that he had actually wanted this. He wanted to be with her so fucking badly but…not like this. Not at the expense of her getting hurt even more. How could Sam do this to her? And on the fucking phone? Didn't he have any respect? Didn't he care about her at all? Didn't she at least deserve to get broken up with in fucking person?

"Did he say why?" He asked softly—although as soon as he asked he had a pretty good idea.

He had almost forgotten about then entire fight Rachel and Sam had had in the parking lot that day after school (which he wasn't supposed to know about) and how Rachel came to the beach even though it wasn't okay with Sam. Had she told him she was going? Or did she just pack up and leave without even telling him? He swallowed.

She pulled back from him and sniffled. "I-I have to tell you something."

Finn tucked a strand of hair that was sticking to her tear tracked face behind her ear. "Okay." He said softly.

"I…I lied to you when I said Sam was okay with me coming." He tried to keep his face neutral. "He wasn't okay with this at all. But…I needed to come. I needed to get away from…from the smell of hospitals and thoughts of cancer and—we had a huge fight before I left." Tears rimmed her eyelids. "I'm just—I'm so stupid. It's all my fault."

Tears poured down her cheeks again and she leaned into him, burying her face in his shoulder. He let her soak his shirt with her tears while he tried to comfort her, stroking her back and holding her as close as he could.

"It's not your fault," he said softly. And he honestly believed it. "Sam is an asshat for breaking up with such an amazing girl."

Rachel sniffled and he gently pulled her back from his chest, cupping her face to remove the tears on her cheeks.

"I deserved it." She shook her head and looked down. "Maybe I just don't deserve to be with anyone."

"Hey," Finn said firmly, shaking her shoulders a little so she looked up at him. Her eyes eventually met his, bright and wide with unshed tears. "Don't say that. You deserve…" He swallowed. "You deserve everything." He said softly and nodded.

She sniffled again and rested her forehead against his, the tips of their noses touching for a moment. She let out a broken sigh—her breath fanned out against his face (it smelled like wintergreen mint from her toothpaste). A few more tears slid down her cheeks, plopping on his shirt. He brought his hand up and swiped them away with the back of his hand, his knuckles sliding gently over her cheekbone.

Finn's breath stifled in his throat as Rachel moved closer to him, her legs nearly on his lap. She bit her lower lip as she ran her nose over his, her upper lip grazing his lower one.

"Rachel." He said softly—trying to make it sound like a warning but it ended up coming out as a plea, his voice cracking from his throat being dry.

Thunder boomed outside as Rachel's lips collided with his—kissing him softly at first but gaining momentum, like the storm brewing outside. He felt her hand come up and cup his cheek, running her thumb over the slight stubble that was forming on his side of his jaw. He ran his hands down her arms, squeezing her forearms as he gave into the kiss—closing his eyes and tasting her lips.

He had wanted this for _so_ long—part of him had felt like he was never going to get the chance to kiss her again. Her lips were soft and tasted like strawberries just like he remembered. Her nose dipped against the space between his nose and cheek every time he turned his head to kiss her deeper.

A soft mew of—pleasure, excitement, relief, _happiness_ fell from Rachel's mouth. As soon as he heard it he knew he had to stop. She had just broken up with her boyfriend and she was sad—he knew she needed comfort but…not like this. It wasn't fair to either of them to give into eachother like this. Not to mention if she kept making those moaning noises like that there was no way he'd be able to be a respectable guy because they were making him all aroused and stuff and all he wanted to do was take her against the couch—_hard_.

He gently pushed her away even though her lips were still trying to capture his.

"Rachel…Rach, stop." He murmured. "Stop."

Rachel frowned softly; her lower lip a dark pink from kissing him—there was something deep and dark pooling in her eyes. It wasn't tears this time—it was arousal, lust, pure need and wanting for him. It faded as her cheeks started to tint into an embarrassed shade of red.

"Oh, God." She muttered, realizing what she just had done. "Finn…I'm—I have no idea what came over me. I'm so sorry…please don't." She pulled away from him. "Please don't hate me."

"Rach—wait. I could _never_ hate you." He hated that she was pulling away from him when he only wanted her closer. "Hey, it's okay. It was—I wanted it too." He tried to reassure her, gently pulling on her forearm so she wouldn't move away to the point of falling off the couch.

She shook her head, leaning against the back of the couch—her eyes looking anywhere but at him. He knew how she felt—embarrassed, ashamed, sad and confused (because he could tell she wanted this but it didn't seem right). He had felt the same way when he had kissed her at the carnival. Why was she so worried about him hating her? He _wanted_ this—he wanted _her_. Why would he hate her for giving him what he wanted? Because it was too soon? Because she had just broken up with Sam? Because it made her look like she was eager and vulnerable? Well, yeah. All of those things were obvious but…but it didn't matter. He just hoped he hadn't made her feel worse than she was already feeling.

"You did?" She managed to squeak out.

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah, of course Rachel. I've wanted that for a while now but," He shook his head, wishing she would just look at him. "We can't. You just broke up with Sam. It's not fair to either of us."

Rachel sniffled and nodded softly. "You're right—I'm…I'm very sorry, Finn."

He took her hand and squeezed it, making her look up at him. "Stop apologizing." He said firmly, a half smile forming on his lips. "That kiss was—let's just say I've missed them."

Rachel was a really good kisser. He'd only kissed a few girls in his life—did the girl who attacked him with her lips in the fourth grade count? Anyways, he had one girlfriend before Quinn (for like a week…who really liked making out in between classes) then he had started dating Quinn and then Rachel…and then Quinn again. He mentally shook his head—he wasn't going there again. Whatever, the point that he was trying to make was that out of the girls he had kissed Rachel had been the best. She knew exactly how to move her lips and when to slide her tongue over his lips and the inside of his mouth—it wasn't too wet or too fast or not fast enough. Her lips were soft and always tasted like her lip-gloss—whether it was coffee, caramel, vanilla or strawberry (that last one was his favorite).

It was perfect. He had just…really, _really_ missed kissing her.

She smiled slowly and squeezed his hand back, leaning up to kiss his cheek in thanks. He really should have been thanking _her_.

"Thanks, Finn. It's very honorable of you to not take advantage of me in my distressed state."

He smirked softly at her sentence and squeezed her hand. "Don't thank me just yet—I still want to kiss you."

Rachel smiled and blushed, looking down at their hands intertwined. Her thumb slowly ran over his.

"Maybe…I could take you up on that offer in a few days?" Rachel asked softly.

Finn bit his lip and looked down at her dark brown hair. Lightning flashed through the window and she squeezed his hand tightly as it shined against her hair. Thunder rumbled loudly after it.

"I hope so." He admitted softly.

Who knew if she'd still feel the same way in a few days—for all Finn knew she could get scared and change her mind about wanting to be with him (about giving him a second—or was it a third chance?). Or maybe Sam would change _his_ mind (realize how much of a mistake he had made) and try and get Rachel back—and maybe she would let him.

All these thoughts and worries spun around Finn's head, making his palms sweat and his heart ache. He couldn't lose her again—not after being so close with her. He wouldn't be able to take it.

"You ready to head back to bed?" He asked, starting to get up.

Rachel swallowed and grabbed his arm. "Can we—" She pulled him back down. "Can we just…stay here a little? Maybe watch a movie?"

He smiled slowly, he could tell she was scared and tired but it looked like fear of thunder and lightning was winning over her need to sleep.

"Yeah, sure. Luckily the storm hasn't knocked out the power yet." He reached for the remote and pushed a button, the screen of the TV coming to life—setting a cool blue light over the entire couch. He turned down the volume and flipped through the channels. "What are you in the mood for?"

He sat back on the couch, shifting to get comfortable. He put his legs up and a settled a pillow against the arm of the couch and leaned his back into it. He watched as Rachel didn't hesitate to lie down between his legs. She turned on her right side and put her head on his chest, watching the TV with drowsy eyes.

"Doesn't matter to me, I just want the sound."

Finn smiled softly and reached over the couch for a blanket. He spread it out over her body and ran his hand through her hair in a tender motion.

He clicked the button to change the channel and smiled softly as the familiar street scene from _The Notebook_ came onto the screen. He really couldn't stomach the movie—it was incredibly cheesy _and_ _seriously, who dies at the same exact time?_ But for some reason every time Rachel watched it, the movie put a spell over her—turned her into putty with tears streaming down her face. Romantic movies…he didn't get them at all. All they ever seemed to do was make girls cry.

"_What happens if a car comes?"  
"We die."_

Finn rolled his eyes. "That's so stupid, why the hell does she want to be roadkill on this date?"

He felt Rachel giggle against his chest. "In that time there wasn't a lot of cars or traffic so…they can do this without having to worry. Besides it's kind of…romantic in a weird way."

Finn looked down at her and licked his lips. He hoped she didn't expect him to take her out on a date to the middle of a highway because…that was just crazy and…he kinda liked to eat when he went on dates. Who was he kidding? He'd be lucky if Rachel was ready to even _consider_ dating him again.

"Really weird."

Finn yawned as the movie inched on; he brought his one hand up to rub his eyes. Rachel shifted against his chest, mewing softly. He smiled as he could tell that she was totally half asleep.

"Wanna go to bed?" He whispered softly.

Rachel shook her head. "No. I'm—" A yawn broke off her speech. "Totally awake."

He smirked softly and shook his head, ruffling her hair. "You're sleeping. They're just getting to the good part where…you know, they're all kissy and he puts ice cream all over her face."

Rachel laughed, moving her head to look up at him. Her chin rested between his pecs. "That's the good part?"

Finn's ears perked as rain pelted against the window. "Isn't the whole movie a good part according to you?"

She smiled widely and moved her hand to cover her mouth as another yawn formed around her words. "Absolutely correct."

Finn smirked softly and shook his head as Rachel cuddled down back onto his chest, resting her head on him. He wondered if she could pick up how fast his heartbeat got every time she ran her nose along his shirt.

"I guess I would have known if you were asleep or not."

"And why's that?"

Finn smiled slowly. "Because you've been saying my name in your sleep."

Rachel looked up at him and blushed darkly. "_What_?"

"I uh, you've been…I've heard my name a couple of times when you've been sleeping. Been dreaming about me?" Finn winked.

He laughed when Rachel buried her beet red face in his shirt. "Oh, no." She whined.

Finn smirked and tickled her sides until she looked up at him. She squealed and laughed, trying to push his hands off her. "Finn, stop!"

"Tell me what you were dreaming about! Was I naked?" He joked.

Rachel laughed and turned over on her side, her back against the couch and most of her weight on his thigh.

"No, you were not naked. Sorry." She smiled widely. "I uh, I've been dreaming about you a lot lately."

"…Were _you_ naked?"

"Finn! Why does anyone have to be naked in my dreams?"

He chuckled. "Sorry."

"We were at the zoo, fully _clothed_."

Finn laughed. "Alright, alright, I get it. Clothes, covered bodies…no nakedness. What were we doing at the zoo?"

"Looking at the animals," Rachel said, like it was obvious. She positioned herself on her chest again, trying to fix the blanket. "Elephants, lions and…giraffes, those are my favorite."

"I know." He said with a soft smile.

The blanket had fallen half on the couch and Rachel had unknowingly grinded her hips down on his…lower half and he nearly jumped off the couch, taking her with him.

"Here, I'll get it, just," _For God's sake, stop moving your hips!_ "Stay put." He smiled at her as he reached down and pulled it up to her neck.

Finn closed his eyes a moment and breathed out, relaxing_._ He opened his eyes for a moment, watching the movie before peeking down at Rachel.

Half of her body was on his chest but she felt light as a feather as Finn breathed in and out.

"Thank you, Finn." Rachel whispered, her eyes fluttering closed. She sounded so comfortable…safe, calm. He wasn't sure if she was thanking him for the blanket or something more.

"You don't have to thank me." He said softly, running his hand down her spine. "I'd do anything for you." He admitted softly.

Finn waited for her reply but she was fast asleep. He smiled and shook his head, slowly turning off the TV so that he didn't disturb her. He shifted down a little so that he could lie down on the couch too, Rachel still on his chest.

He yawned and closed his eyes. His mom was going to kick his ass in the morning—no doubt about it. They were late from coming home from the boardwalk, past the curfew…he wondered if his mom was going to figure that out but, anyways, even if she didn't she'd still wake up to see a sleeping Rachel on his chest.

Thunder crashed outside, making Rachel shift against him. She moved a little and buried her face in the space between his side and arm. He smiled as the scent of her shampoo wafted to his nose.

His mom could be mad at him all she wanted—it was worth it, he had the girl he loved sleeping on him, making her feel safe in a storm. With that comforting thought and his thumb gently running over her shoulder, he fell asleep.

O0o0o0o0o

:) thanks for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

Thanks for all the positive feedback and reviews, I really appreciate it everyone! Thanks and enjoy :) I was thinking of doing a college AU fic for my next finchel story…what do you guys think? I dunno, I'm worried that with actual college I will have trouble updating ): Ugh I don't want to go back to school!

Warning (not really but whatever): this chapter probably has mistakes in it. I didn't finish it till late and its now midnight and I have goddamn school tomorrow. So IM SORRY IF YOU FIND MAJOR MISTAKES (grammar, spelling, missing words ;lsdfkjlfkgj whatever) I will go back and fix it later and re-upload a new fixed version if I have time. It shouldn't be too bad :/ long author's note—and now to the story!

0o0o0o0o

Chapter 21

Finn stirred on the couch, running a hand over his face. Someone was shaking his shoulder—gently but, geez didn't they understand he had been asleep?

"Finn? Finn."

"Rachel?" He mumbled softly, turning his head and opening his eyes.

His mom smiled back at him.

"Rachel?" She chuckled softly. It was too early for her 'knowing' laugh. He would have thrown a pillow at her but he had a feeling she was going to make pancakes for breakfast…and he wanted some. "Sorry to disappoint. Just me. What are you doing on the couch, hunny? Did you sleepwalk?"

Finn frowned, wondering why his mom wasn't yelling at him for a sleeping Rachel on his—he looked down at his chest, Rachel was nowhere to be seen. He sat up, trying to look for any trace that she had been there with him. Her phone wasn't on the coffee table, her bunny was gone and the TV was shut off.

Had—had everything that had happened with Rachel last night been a dream? But…_how_? It couldn't have been. It just couldn't. Not that he really liked the whole crying over Sam thing but—but that kiss? He couldn't have been dreaming that (he was pretty sure if it had been a dream he would have gotten pass second base).

He rubbed his face and looked up at his mom. "I, uh, I must have."

She smiled softly. "Alright, well as long as you're okay, sweetheart." She kissed his forehead and headed into the kitchen. "What time did you and Rachel get in last night?"

He bit his lip. "We were, like, twenty minutes past curfew. We were at the gift shop and Rachel found this lost girl in the toy section. We stood around waiting to see if we could find her parents."

His mom got a few things out of the fridge. "Well, I'm very proud of you, Finn. Some people wouldn't even waste their time."

Finn frowned. "No, I could never just…leave a kid stranded without finding their parents. That's…" He shook his head. "If my kid was lost, I would want good people to stay with him or her until they found us."

"Your kid?" She said with a smile.

Finn couldn't stop a blush from spreading over his face. "Well, not for a very long time mom." He assured her, standing up from the couch. "Obviously." He grumbled and moved towards the fridge, looking inside for the orange juice.

"Thought about…who these kids would be with?"

Finn frowned and poured himself a cup. "Uh…" Yeah, it was early and his mom was asking him heavy questions about babies—that was the best he could come up with.

"Rachel has very nice high cheekbones, well, overall bone structure. Oh! And she can sing."

Finn choked on his orange juice, successfully spilling some of it on his shirt. Why the hell was his mom talking about Rachel and his _babies_? Did she understand what he had to do to make those babies? He was pretty sure she did, seeing as how was proof pudding of baby making—standing right in front of her.

"Mom!"

She laughed. "What? I'm just thinking ahead."

How did she even know that he would be with Rachel that far into the future? He wasn't even with her _now_. Finn just shook his head, not even able to come up with a decent response before turning on his heel to head downstairs to his room.

He wasn't sure what the hell was up with his mom but he definitely wouldn't be re-telling that story to Rachel.

Finn slowly pushed open their bedroom door to see Rachel huddled on his bed, sleeping on her left side while Frankelton was tucked under her chin. He smiled softly and closed the door as quietly as he could so he wouldn't disturb her. He was almost honored that she had curled up on his bed instead of her own but then remembered she couldn't _reach_ her own bed.

Rachel stirred when Finn stepped towards his suitcase, the floor underneath him moaning under his weight. He looked at her and bit his lip, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry." He said softly.

Rachel yawned, shaking her head. She ran her hand over her face.

"It's okay." She was groggy and her voice was rough with sleep. It was adorable. All he wanted to do was gather her up in those sheets and snuggle with her until she got sick of him.

Finn came towards her, sitting awkwardly against the bed. He was too tall to really sit comfortably on the bed with her in it—he'd just end up hitting his head against the bar of the bed above them. He sat down near her chest and turned so his side was leaning against the bed.

His eyes ran over her face and he couldn't help but give into the urge to push a strand of hair around her ear. "I have an odd…question."

Rachel smiled. "Okay."

"Did…did, uhm…"

Rachel giggled. "Did I fall asleep on you last night on the couch? Yes, Finn. I did."

Finn let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Thank God, I thought I was going crazy. When I woke up and you weren't there—"

"I woke up around eight and…I didn't want your mom to find us on the couch together. I didn't want you to get in trouble so I came down here and fell back asleep."

"Oh, wow, you're awesome. Thanks, Rach. My mom would have killed me if she would have found us together."

"Not that I couldn't have explained…" She looked down at the bed. "everything, I suppose."

He was still kinda glad she had woken up and vanished from his side before his mom could see. He knew what she was trying to do in the kitchen—she wanted him to admit his feelings for Rachel (like they weren't obvious anyways). But even though his mom was planning to buy footie pajamas for their un-born baby—he knew she wouldn't be cool with them sleeping on eachother.

"Did your dad text you this morning?" He hadn't meant to change the subject but she looked like something else was on her mind.

Rachel nodded. "He's getting worse." She swallowed, her voice growing softer. "I dunno if he's going to…"

"Hey," He put an arm around her and watched as she instantly turned into him, pushing her face into his chest.

This was new. Well…not new, exactly but…he hadn't felt her give herself over completely to him since they were dating. He hadn't felt her relax into him, trusting him to make everything better with a simple touch or kiss in such a long time.

He drew her closer, wrapping both of his arms around her. "We're heading home tonight. We can drop you off at the hospital."

She shook her head against him. "Kurt and Mercedes…neither of them know and I can't—"

They did know….because the entire glee club knew…because Finn kind of put together that bake sale that was happening when they got back from the beach.

"Right, okay." Finn said softly, running a gentle hand on her back. "I get it."

Rachel pulled back from him, curling her hair around her ear. "As soon as you drop me off at home I can drive over there."

"As long as you text me to let me know you got there okay."

She smiled softly. "Promise."

Finn smiled at her as his mom called all of them for breakfast—he wondered if Kurt was even awake yet. Maybe he could kinda…borrow (steal) his step-brother's portion of pancakes.

His heart stopped in his chest as Rachel kissed his cheek before getting up to walk out of the bedroom—she acted like it was the most simplest thing she'd ever done, like kissing him was natural to her or something.

Not that he was complaining.

Finn was determined to make today one of the best vacation days ever. He had to do this for her. One more day of blissful moments spent on the beach, laughing about ice cream or sandcastles.

He wanted her to be happy before he took her back to the crushing reality of Lima—and what was waiting for her when she returned home.

0o0o0o0o

Finn looked over the table of baked goods, trying to ignore his stomach as it growled. Maybe if he just tried one cookie…

_No, no. _He took a tally of what was available so he could start figuring out how much things should cost along with keeping track of how much they sold. He heard a bang and turned to the left, watching Puck swear as he picked up the case that a drum was in.

"Hey, be careful with that," Artie scolded him. "It's on loan from the jazz band."

That made Puck roll his eyes—he obviously gave two fucks about the jazz band. They didn't really have a stage set up but the parking lot was pretty big so they picked a corner where a bunch of trees were planted and decided to sing from there. Finn checked his watch as he set down a tin container to hold the money.

Everyone was helping to set up tables for people to sit at and relax while they ate cookies or something and watched them perform—everyone except Rachel and Sam…which, he wasn't sure how that made him feel. When they got back to Lima, school was weird to say the least. Sam had been avoiding Rachel like she had some sort of duck plague (or was it bird flu?) and Finn didn't want to press his luck on being with Rachel and force her to be friends with the guy. It wasn't his problem.

Or maybe he had been a little bit selfish…after all; if Rachel wasn't friends with Sam there was less of a chance of them getting back together. But he could tell when he sat with her at lunch that she missed him…or at least needed to talk to him to get things straightened out. And Finn had to _let_ her—which killed him. Finn needed Sam's help in order to get this bake sale up and running.

So when Sam had approached Rachel after school on Friday (Finn totally _wasn't _spying on them from his locker down the hall or anything…) Finn just let everything fall into place. He was pretty sure Sam was apologizing; because his face looked like he had drowned a kitten (he'd never seen anyone look so guilty). He watched Rachel place a hand on his arm and squeeze it, giving him a small smile. He watched them walk down the hall together and leave. He had just stood there and watched it happen.

He had started to get a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, like snakes were crawling around in his tummy—because why the hell had he let the love of his life walk down the hall and out of school with another guy? Why had he let them make up in the first place? Because single or not he didn't own Rachel—he couldn't control her or tell her who she could or couldn't be friends with.

Finn had felt a little bit better when he got a text from Rachel after football practice.

_Sam just gave me a ride home. We talked, it was nice but…I'm not getting back together with him. I thought you should know. _

Finn had kept the text in his inbox to look at from time to time to make sure he hadn't dreamt that up or something. He had wanted to go over to her house, his mom had made cherry pie and Rachel loved cherry pie so he wanted to take her a few slices but he hadn't wanted to seem pushy. She needed space and he knew she'd text him if she needed him.

And that was exactly what had happened Friday night.

_Rachel texted him to come over around eight-thirty. He rushed downstairs and grabbed his jacket and keys…only to be sideswiped by his mom._

"_And where do you think you're going?"_

"_Oh, uhm…out?"_

_She raised her one eyebrow. "Hunny, I can see that. Where are you going? It's almost nine."_

_And once again he was late. "Yeah, I know. Rachel asked me to come over…"_

"_On a school night?"_

"_I won't be home past twelve." _

"_Eleven."_

"_Deal!" He smiled widely and held out his hand for her to shake. _

_She smirked softly and shook his head. She took his hand and squeezed it. "Behave Finn, I mean it. I know that house has no parent in it." _

_Finn nodded. "I promise." _

_He kissed her cheek and headed out, hearing her yell 'not a minute past eleven!' before he closed the door. He wasn't exactly sure why his mom was letting him go over his ex-girlfriend's house with no parents but it wasn't like he was going to complain. He got in his car and headed to Rachel's. Maybe his mom felt bad for Rachel, like, she knew she needed someone. Or maybe she trusted him to be Rachel's friend—and she could trust him. Both of him could trust him. He could totally think with his upstairs brain._

_Finn turned into Rachel's driveway and pulled his keys out. He headed to her front door, not even getting a chance to ring the doorbell before Rachel opened up. She smiled softly at him._

"_Hi."_

_He smiled back. "Hey…how'd you know I was here? You a mind-reader or something? Quick, what number am I thinking of?"_

_Rachel giggled. "I heard your truck pull into the driveway." _

_She opened the door a little bit more to make room for his large, awkward frame. He went inside and slid his jacket off, hanging it up by the door._

"_Can I get you anything?"_

"_No, I'm okay. Is your dad home?"_

_Her face changed instantly. The smile she had had on her face faded in an instant—replaced with worry_ _marks around her mouth and forehead and a frown that made him wish he hadn't asked._

"_No," She curled hair around her ear and made her way into her kitchen. He slowly followed her and watched her move around the kitchen—it looked like she was making tea. "He's barely home at night. He comes home during the day to sleep and eat and work on some things for work but…as soon as I'm home from school he heads back to the hospital." _

_Finn frowned and ran his teeth over his lower lip. That meant Rachel barely got to see her father except when she was at the hospital. She was at school for most of the day when he was home and then he left as soon as she made it home from school. Rachel was home alone, a lot. Finn didn't like that. He especially didn't like that she had to sleep in her house all by herself. He watched _Criminal Minds_ and stuff—he knew bad things could happen. It didn't sit well with him at all that she was alone at night, alarm on or not. _

"_I think you should come sleep at my house." _

_Rachel set the kettle on her stove and raised her eyebrows. She smiled softly and leaned her elbows on the counter. "What?"_

"_I don't…" Finn shifted uncomfortably. "I don't like the idea of you sleeping here by yourself." _

"_Finn I'm perfectly safe in my own home." _

"_Yeah," He mumbled. "That's what everyone thinks until something bad happens." _

_She sighed softly. "My dad would freak and your mom, I'm sure, wouldn't be very happy about it either." _

_Finn shrugged. "We have a guest room…or you could sleep in Kurt's room, like the sleepovers you guys have. Either way, it has nothing to do with me." _

_Rachel bit her lower lip. "I don't know…"_

"_Rach, you don't like being alone here either. I know that's why you texted me asking me to come over." _

"_Maybe I just wanted someone to watch _Indiana Jones_ with." Rachel smirked and turned, taking her steaming kettle off the stove. She turned the fire off._

"_You hate _Indiana Jones_." _

"_Yeah, but you don't." She said softly, pouring the hot water into a mug. She dunked her teabag into the water until it turned a light brown color._

_Finn rounded the kitchen table and went over to where Rachel was standing. He took one of her hands off her mug and held it in his, gently placing a kiss on the knuckles._

"_Hey." She sighed and let the teabag fall into the mug as she turned to look up at him. "You didn't have to pick something I liked…I would have come no matter what you picked to watch." _

_Rachel smiled softly. "Good…because I want to watch _A Walk to Remember_." _

_Finn groaned. He should have known._

_0o0o0o0o_

_Finn came back in with a bowl of popcorn only to find Rachel curled up on the couch, fast asleep. He smiled softly and covered her with a blanket and set the bowl on the table. He ran his hand through her hair before walking back into the kitchen, taking his cell out of his pocket. He didn't have to be home for an hour and a half yet but he really wanted to call him mom and ask about Rachel. She probably wasn't asleep yet. Every Friday night she'd curl up on the couch with Burt and watch a really sappy movie. _

_She answered around the third ring. "Finn? Is everything okay?"_

"_Yeah, yeah…Rachel fell asleep on the couch. We were watching a movie." _

"_Oh, okay. How is she?"_

_Finn sat at the kitchen table and sighed softly, rubbing his forehead. "Sad. Scared." He shook his head. "Her dad is at the hospital every night and…and she's always home alone. I don't…I really don't like her sleeping alone in her house."_

_His mom gave a small chuckle. "You watch too much TV." _

"_Mom, I was wondering if she could stay with us…"_

_His mom sighed—he knew that sound, she was getting ready to give him a lecture and say no. "Hunny…"_

"_Mom, please. I'll call Mr. Berry and ask him myself but…what if something happens to her when shes all alone up here."_

"_Finn, I understand you care a lot about her but she's not in house on haunted hill. There are many neighbors around and from what I know about the Berrys I'm sure they are friends with everyone around them. She's safe." _

_Finn was starting to get angry. "You let Quinn stay with us." _

"_Her mother kicked her out of her house and she was apparently carrying your baby! What was I supposed to do?" _

_He rubbed his forehead. "Well, I don't see much of a difference! Her dad's never home, she might as well be out with no place to go."_

"_Don't be dramatic." _

"_Mom, please. We have a guest room or she can sleep in Kurt's room. If I ask her dad for his permission, can she sleepover?"_

"_For how long?"_

_Finn bit his lip in thought. He had no idea for how long—he hadn't really thought too much into this plan. He couldn't predict if Rachel's daddy was going to get better or worse…or if her dad would start coming home to spend the night with his daughter._

"_A few days?" Finn's voice cracked. _

_He could literally hear his mom run her hand through her hair. She must have pulled the phone away from her ear because he heard her murmuring to Burt. _

"_Finn?"_

"_Yeah? I'm still here." He swallowed._

"_Ask…her father and have him call me if he wants. I don't want this to sprout any arguments between us, you understand? If her father says no you have to respect his wishes. I don't want him thinking I know what's best for his daughter because I don't."_

_Finn nodded. "Totally." _

_His mom sighed. "Call me back." _

"_Okay, bye." He hung up and bit his lip. _

_Finn went back into the other room and sat next to Rachel's sleeping form. He needed to wake her up—she needed to be the one to call her dad to ask. And he kinda had to make sure she was even interested in doing this because when he had brought it up in the kitchen she had just looked uncomfortable and changed the subject. _

_He placed his hand on the small of Rachel's back and rubbed gently. "Rach? Hey, wake up." _

_Rachel shifted and sat up, rubbing her hands over her face. He chuckled softly as her hair stuck up every which way from being against the pillow. He tried to pat down some of the wild curls in her hair. _

_She smiled sleepily. "I'm sorry." _

"_For what?"_

"_Falling asleep while we watched a movie." She yawned._

_He smiled. "I kind of figured you were going to…you were drifting during the previews." He bit his lip. "Rach…did you just invite me over so you could sleep?"_

_She looked down at his lap. "What do you mean?"_

"_I know you haven't been sleeping well and I know it's because of your dad but…does it have anything to do with being in your house by yourself." _

_She sighed. "Sometimes. When the house settles and there's all these creaks and moans, I just…I feel like someone's breaking in or something." She laughed softly to herself. "I'm being silly."_

"_Not at all. I get that you feel safer with someone here while you slept. When I was little, sometimes I couldn't fall asleep until my mom sat on my bed with me. I, uh," He rubbed the back of his neck. "Was afraid of the dark." _

_Rachel laughed and looked up at him. "Aw, little Finn sounds cute." _

_He blushed and shook his head. "What, I'm not cute now?" He asked jokingly, making her playfully run her palm across his cheek._

"_No, not at all!" She smacked his chest with a pillow._

"_Ow! Geez, for little arms you have a lot of—" He laughed and avoided another swing of her pillow. "Okay, I surrender! Don't make me pick you up and tickle you." _

_Rachel stopped and smiled, inching over until she was sitting on his lap. Finn swallowed as her arms circled his neck. He tried to keep his lower half perfectly still—he didn't need to be thinking about those little shorts she had on and how many layers were between his bare skin and hers._

_He cleared his throat. "Rach? What…"_

"_Shh…" She murmured, leaning her head closer to his. _

_Her lips slowly collided with his and he shivered as she ran her thumbs over the back of his neck. Was he dreaming again? Wait—the last kiss that had happened hadn't been a dream at all, it had just felt like one. Which meant…which meant he wasn't dreaming this time either. _

_His one arm circled her back as the other moved up, his hand cradling the back of her head. Finn pushed his lips into hers, deepening the kiss as much as he could. His one hand started shaking—for fucks sake, why was he so nervous? This wasn't the first time he had kissed Rachel. _

_She must have felt it or at least realized he was uncomfortable because she pulled back from him, her lips a tinted, sexy pink. "What's wrong?"_

_He shook his head and licked his lips. "Nothing," He admitted. _

_Nothing was wrong with her or what they were doing or the kiss in general (it was all so perfect). So what the hell was the matter with him? They were both single and Rachel had assured him that she wasn't getting back together with Sam—so why was this so goddamn difficult? _

"_I'm sorry." He smiled softly, leaning forward to press a kiss to her cheek. "I'm nervous or something." _

_She giggled. "Nervous? Why? You've kissed me before, Finn." _

_But it was…different somehow. "Yeah but…uhm, we're alone in the house and you have these goddamn short shorts on and…and _you're on top of me_." _

_Rachel's eyebrows scrunched in confusion until Finn raised his eyebrows at her. Her face lit up in recognition. "_Oh_." She crawled off him and tried to keep an amused (and flattered) smile off her face. "I'm so sorry, Finn. I had no idea I was affecting you in that way."_

_He sighed and smiled softly at her. "Yeah, you always do." He blushed softly and she let out a small giggle, ruffling his hair._

"_It's perfectly natural, Finn. Don't be embarrassed." _

_He looked up into her eyes. "Do I…affect you that way?"_

_She smiled softly and bit her lip, eyes shining with something deep and dark. Arousal. "Definitely." She said softly, her breath shallow. _

_Finn shifted, his pants getting tighter at the sound of her voice. "Cool." He managed to get out, clearing his throat._

_She smiled; pulling one of the pillows she had used to playfully smack him before over her waist. He took her hand into his and held it on the pillow._

"_I called my mom and talked to her about you staying over. She said you could stay over a couple nights as long as your dad was okay with it…"_

"_Finn…" _

_He smiled softly and ran a hand through her hair. "If you don't want to, don't worry about it. I just wanted to give you the option." _

_Rachel smiled. "I'll call my dad…Kurt wanting me to sleepover sounds better than you wanting me too."_

_Finn winked. "But I do."_

_She giggled. "Stop!"_

_Rachel reached over and picked up her phone and called her dad. It was late but he figured her father would answer her call no matter what time it was—especially since he wasn't home. He watched Rachel talk on the phone; she'd get these small, soft smiles on her face that made his heart feel all…fluttery and heavy at the same time. He guessed the smiles were from her dad calling her 'peanut' or 'sweetheart'. She twirled her hair around her finger as she spoke to him, mentioning how the empty house was scaring her at night and even though there was an alarm, she was wondering if she could sleep over Kurt's house for a few nights. The smile on her face told him that her dad was saying yes. She hung up the phone and squealed, running over to hug him into the couch._

_He laughed and caught her easily, hugging her tightly around her waist. _

"_My dad said yes! He just has to call your mom and make sure I'll be sleeping in a room that's either with Kurt or—"_

"_Just…not with me." He smirked and she smiled sheepishly._

"_Yes." The smile never left her face. "Thank you, Finn."_

_Finn smiled softly and leaned forward to place a soft and gentle kiss on her lips. "You don't have to thank me…I didn't really do anything." _

_Apparently Rachel didn't feel the same way—because she leaned forward to give him another kiss._

_O0o0o0o0o00_

So…what were they? Were they really close friends who just, like, kissed and stuff? Did that make sense? Rachel wasn't into Sam or getting back together with him and…she gave him these looks sometimes—like she used to give him when they were dating. Finn felt his heart flutter every time. Her eyes connected with his and…it was like she talked to talk to him without saying anything.

Maybe they didn't have to be 'anything' right now. It was too complicated with Rachel's dad in the hospital and Sam taking her to prom (which annoyed Finn more than anything…who the hell was _he_ going to take? Because he sure as hell _wasn't _taking Quinn). They were friends but they were definitely more than that.

Finn set up the last price card next to the cupcakes Quinn and Puck had made. He licked his lips. Damn he wish he had a dollar…they looked fucking ace. His stomach grumbled.

"Hello, Finn."

Finn jumped and turned around, looking down at the smiling brunette. Crap, what was her name? Emilia? Emily. It was Emily.

"Hey, Emily. Here to buy some cupcakes? They're pretty cheap and for a good cause."

She smiled shyly at him and bit her lip, twisting her hands. "Yeah! I brought some money. My mom said to buy anything that will induce sugar comas."

Finn chuckled. "Your mom is a smart woman."

She blushed. "I was…uhm, wondering if you had a date for prom? I heard you weren't going with Quinn anymore and…I know you like Rachel Berry but," She curled hair around her ear. "We've been in Bio the past two years together as lab partners so, do you think you'd like to go as friends?"

She was right; he'd known her for two years as a lab partner. She was nice and really pretty—long brown hair that curled under her shoulders and freckled skin with piercing green eyes. She wasn't the most popular girl in school—she was made fun of a lot. He'd see her by her locker in one set of clothes in the morning and then by Bio she was in another outfit, which only meant one thing: slushies. He didn't know if she had taunts just as bad as Rachel but he knew she came into Bio looking upset. She obviously had to deal with football douchebags just like Rachel.

He shifted on his feet, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He…wasn't really into going to prom at all—he didn't feel like staring at Rachel all night while she had fun with Sam.

"I dunno, Emily…I wasn't going to go, actually."

"Oh," She looked disappointed…and he felt like an asshole. He could tell that he was her final idea. No one had asked her, not even a friend. So she asked him. "I understand." She gave him a small, soft smile. "Thanks anyways, I'll see you in Bio."

Finn frowned softly as she turned around. He sighed. "Wait, Em." He went up behind her and touched her shoulder, making her turn around. "I'd be honored to go with you."

Her face lit up like a light bulb. "R-really?"

He smiled softly. "Yeah, just…as friends right?"

"Yes, of _course_." She looked so happy, not even worried that they were just going as friends. The fact that she was going with someone seemed to be good enough. "What color do you think?"

"Huh?"

"For my dress? Whatever flower you get me would be _perfect_."

He chuckled. "I think you'll look pretty in black. Or maybe a dark green."

Emily blushed. "Thank you so much, Finn. You have no idea how much this means to me."

He was pretty sure he did. "No problem, it'll be a lot of fun." He nodded. "I'll pick you up around seven? You can text me your address."

She smiled widely and nodded. "I'll be back in a little when the bake sale starts."

Finn smiled and watched her leave, breathing out. He didn't want to miss out on prom so, cool, he had a pretty date that only intended on being his friend. So he could focus on Rachel all he wanted and have fun with a nice girl at the same time. Drama free. Thank _god_.

Mr. Schuester came around the corner into the parking lot, a box of pies in his arms. Finn ran over and helped him with the box.

"Wow, these smell good. I didn't know you baked."

Mr. Schuester smiled. "I don't…this little secret that my mom baked pies for this bake sale will just stay between us, understand?"

Finn chuckled. "Totally." He carried the pies over to the table and set them down.

"How many people do you think are going to turn up?"

Finn bit his lip. They hadn't really told anyone at school other than teachers and the rest of the glee club put up flyers in their community—churches, elementary schools, groceries, hardware stores, and even the hospital etc. Anywhere to get adults involved, because the students of Lima High were not interested in helping Rachel—no matter how dire the situation. He was sure all of them would walk over her dying body for free gum. His fists clenched momentarily.

He cleared his throat. "I hope enough to at least get some money for Rachel." He sighed. "Even a hundred dollars could help."

That was another thing—_it turns out you're not allowed to pretend you're raising money for a certain cause and then give the money to something completely different. And I'm too young to go to jail._ Even if it was just a small bake sale in Lima (not a grand charity event in New York) they couldn't pretend they were raising money to save the wildlife or bees or some shit like that and then give the money to Rachel for her dad. They had to put on the flyer that the money raised would go to a sick parent in need that was part of the Lima Community. He rubbed the back of his neck. They hadn't put any names on the flyer so he hoped Rachel wouldn't put two and two together until the time was right.

At least Sam had her when most of the setup was being done. He didn't need her buzzing around his ear trying to figure out the hell all of this was for.

"Finn."

Finn turned and saw Quinn approach him, her large curled hair blowing a bit in the wind. "Quinn." He nodded softly.

"I was—"

"Before you can ask, I already have a date to prom so—"

"No, that's not it. I'm going with Puck." She nodded softly. "He asked me this morning."

Finn raised his eyebrows and looked at her—she looked…pleased. Not like she was trying to make him jealous or because Puck was her last resort but _genuinely_ happy. Wow, he hadn't seen her look like that for a while.

"Oh, awesome." He glanced over at Puck before looking back to the small blonde in front of him. "What happened with Lauren?"

"They broke up." She ran her foot over a crack in the pavement. "I was wondering how Rachel was."

He stared at her. Really? Was Quinn, like, replaced with a robot that looked exactly like her because…this just seemed so out of character for her.

"Uh, I…well, as good as to be expected I guess."

"I heard Sam broke up with her."

He nodded softly, trying to busy himself with moving cupcakes around. "Yeah."

"So…"

"So, what?"

"So are you going to go for it? With Rachel, I mean."

Finn slowly turned to look at her. She smiled softly at him—this was so weird. Quinn didn't even try to be his friend when they were dating and now she was asking him how he felt? If he was going to go for and be with someone he loved? Did Puck give her some sort of anti-bitch potion?

"I dunno. I'm trying." He nodded softly and leaned closer to her so he could whisper. "With her dad and everything and she just broke up with Sam…it doesn't feel right."

Quinn bit the inside of her mouth. "When everything was going on with my mom…I know that…" She faltered; it was like whatever she was trying to say was hard for her to admit. "That was when I needed you the most. If Rachel is anything like I think she is…she really needs support right now. Especially from someone she loves as much as you."

Finn's eyes softened as he listened to what Quinn was trying to tell him. He looked up to see Sam's car pulling into the parking lot. He watched Rachel get out of the car, smiling as Sam helped her put her blue sweater on. He looked back at Quinn and squeezed her shoulder.

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks a lot Quinn."

He went past her as Rachel walked towards the parking lot. Her face lit up as she saw him and rushed over to where he was standing. He smiled as her arms went around his waist; he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, placing his lips in her hair. He breathed in the scent of her vanilla shampoo.

"Hey." She said softly, her voice vibrating his chest.

He smiled softly as she pulled back. "Hi. Did you have a nice time with Sam?"

Finn looked up as Sam passed Rachel, looking down at her with a soft smile. He licked his lips and watched him head over to where Kurt, Blaine and Mercedes were and looked at the prices for the cupcakes.

"Yes, it was nice. We got coffee and talked about prom."

He took her hand and started walking slowly with her towards the table of goodies. "Yeah? He excited?" He damn well should have been—he was taking _his_ date (least the one he really wanted to go with).

She smiled as she looked down at their hands interlocked. "Yep," She looked up at him and bumped her arm against his. "I wish I was going with you though."

Finn smiled and looked down at her. "I wish I was going with you too. I found a date; well…she's not exactly a date. She's a friend from Biology and she asked me to go with her. I think I was her last resort."

"Oh." Rachel said quietly.

"Save me a dance though?" He asked, stopping and tugging her arm up. She giggled as he spun her in a circle.

"Definitely!"

Finn chuckled and put his arm around her as they headed to the cookie table.

O0o0o0o

Finn counted the cash in the tin box as the rest of the glee club ate leftover cookies and helped clean up the parking lot. If he was counting correctly, they had raised over five-hundred dollars…which was a lot more than he had expected to get. His hands were shaking as he put the money back into the tin and securely closed it before the wind could pick up and blow the cash away. He couldn't believe that the Lima Community showed up like it had to support the bake sale like that.

Rachel came over and sat next to him, touching his knee. "Hi."

He looked up at her and smiled. "So, how are the worker bees?"

She chuckled. "You better get over there before they retaliate since you're not helping."

"I'm the money counter!"

"Oh," She laughed. "Is _that_ what you're doing over here? How much did we raise?"

"Five-hundred."

She gasped, making him smile. "Oh wow! That…that's amazing. I can't even imagine what that money could do for someone. Who are we donating it to? I don't remember if it was even decided. I just heard there was a bake sale…never got to see a flyer." She smiled softly.

Finn bit his lip…it was now or never. "Yeah, Rach. I have to tell you something."

She swallowed and looked nervous all of a sudden. "Oh, okay. Is it…something bad?"

"No! No." He shook his head and a little bit of relief flooded her face. "I uh, this money is actually for you."

The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. He swallowed, looking over her face. She just…looked confused.

"What?" She asked softly. "How could the money be for me?"

"It was my idea to put together the bake sale. The flyer said it was for helping someone sick in the community…it was for your dad Rach, to help with the bills or…I dunno, I just _needed_ to help."

He just couldn't take how much all this was affecting her—how much pain she was in, how it made her cry and unbearably sad and how it made her feel so hopeless.

Finn hadn't been able to look into her eyes until he finished explaining…when he finally got the courage to meet her eyes with his, tears had been rapidly gathering in her soft, brown, eyes. Her lower lip wobbled and panic started to fill his entire body.

"Oh, Rachel." He scooted closer to her to hug her but she put a hand on his chest. He looked around at his other teammates to see if any were looking over at them but they were all pre-occupied with something else. "I'm sorry, don't…don't be mad. I was just—"

"No, I'm not mad," She managed to choke out, tears starting over her lashes and plopping onto her blue skirt. Her breath hiccupped in her chest and he watched her continue to check to her right to make sure no one was watching her break down like this. "I'm…Finn, thank you so much, I can't—"

Tears over took her speech and her body folded into his. He gathered her into his arms and smiled softly as she cried into his chest, his heart touched at her tender and overwhelmed words. Her hands gripped his shirt as he rubbed circles into her shoulders. This wasn't exactly how he expected things to go—he hadn't wanted to make her cry but at least he knew these were good tears.

"Hey, no, shh. Don't. I wanted to do this; you don't have to thank me. Besides, it wasn't just me. The entire glee club helped too." As she pulled back he cupped her face, smiling softly at her. "You can thank them later when you face isn't all wet with tears."

She let out a soft laugh as his thumbs ran over her cheekbones. She brought her hands up to rest against his hands on her cheeks. He leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead.

"Let's get over there and get some cupcakes before Puck eats them all!"

She giggled as he gently yanked her up from her seat and held onto her as they walked over to the rest of the glee club.

O0o0o0o0o

Alright :) thank you so much everyone for reading and reviewing! I'm going to school tomorrow so I will update as soon as I always can! Thanks again and hope you enjoyed!


	22. Chapter 22

Hello, everyone! Needless to say it's been a while. School has consumed any free time I have ): I have all the ideas, it's the time to write I'm having trouble with. I hope you all understand. Thanks and enjoy!

0o0o0o0o

Chapter 22

Finn shifted on the couch as he waited for Rachel to come out of the bathroom. How long did it take to try on a dress? He knew it couldn't have been that complicated…although, his mom had worked hard on making the waist tiny enough that the dress wouldn't look like a whale trying to swallow Rachel when she tried it on. His mom had worked on plenty of dresses before but she had taken her time with Rachel's dress—making sure everything was as perfect as it could be.

It looked like a princess gown…and Finn didn't doubt for one second that Rachel wouldn't come out of the bathroom looking like anything other than a princess in it. He heard a small bump and Rachel yelp. He rushed up from the couch and went to the bathroom door.

"Rach, are you okay?" He totally saw this horror movie once that had clothes…like…eating people. _Revenge of the Washing Detergent_ or…something? He scratched the back of his neck. Or maybe he had dreamt that up.

She huffed and he swore he could see her bangs lift off her forehead for a brief moment. "I'm just…having trouble…zipping it."

"You want some help? If you tear the dress my mom is going to have a meltdown."

Now she sounded mad. "I wasn't going to _tear_ the dress, Finn!"

He smiled softly. "Let me help."

"You just want to see me with no bra on." He could pick up a hint of a smile in her voice.

Finn's eyes widened…she didn't have a bra _on_? "N-no." He stuttered and rolled his eyes; _smooth operator, Finn._

He heard her move around in the bathroom again and bit his lower lip. The dress was long—not as long as, like, a wedding dress but long enough that it would probably still touch the floor if she wore heels. He heard another bang before Rachel said 'sparkle' rather angrily. He guessed that was a substitute for a swear word. She had told him the other day that swearing was a bad habit and she was trying to steer clear of saying them. Sparkle, though, really? Who wants to say that when their mad?

"Alright, I'm coming in whether you want it or not."

He could see her pout through the door as she unlocked the doorknob. She opened the door a little and peeked out at him.

"I don't understand why I'm having so much trouble. I had more complicated costumes for my recitals when I was five! And I could get into those with no or little adult supervision."

Finn just smiled and playfully rolled his eyes. "Hold onto your dress."

She held onto the tube part around her breasts as Finn pushed open the door. He swallowed as her bare back was turned towards him, a zipper and some pink fabric strings hanging just above her heart shaped—

"Finn."

He cleared his throat and looked up at the back of her neck. "Sorry, I uh…was trying to find the zipper."

She giggled softly and turned her head to look back at him. He felt a blush creep over his face as he found the zipper near her lower back (not like it had been that hard to actually _locate_ it but…cheesus her _back_ and the light freckles on her skin…). He closed his eyes a moment and breathed through his nose—he had to resist the urge to pepper kisses along the back of her shoulders.

Finn tugged the zipper and tied the pink strings that were on the side of her dress around her back in a semi-perfect bow.

"Okay."

She turned back around and smiled at him. "Well, how do I look?"

Gorgeous didn't seem to cover it. He suddenly felt incredibly jealous that Sam Evans got to take her, in this dress that his mom had made, to prom.

"Is not saying anything a good thing or a bad thing?" She asked softly, her smile fading a fraction.

She looked down at her dress—it was a soft pink (it reminded him of roses or baby piglets or something) with a sparkly gold see-through fabric covering the bottom and top of the tube of the dress. The sparkly gold made him think of that gold…pixie dust from that flying kid Disney movie…_Peter Pan_? Yeah, he was never going to admit that out loud to _anyone_.

"Sorry, no, it's a good thing." He smiled at her as she lifted her head. "You look beautiful."

"Really?" She asked softly, her hands running down over the fabric. "I think your mom has a lot to do with that…the dress is gorgeous."

He walked up to her, careful not to have his oafish feet step on the bottom of her dress. He reached up behind her head and undid the clip that was holding her hair up. Her hair fell around her shoulders, gently brushing her skin like a paintbrush gliding paint across a canvas.

"The dress…really has nothing to do with how pretty you look."

She smiled and brought her lower lip into her mouth, embarrassed. "So, do you think it fits and everything? Your mom wants to make sure she doesn't have to take in any of the stitches or anything."

"It looks like it fits." Finn took her hand and held it above her head, spinning her slowly. "Does it feel okay?"

She smiled. "It feels fine! Now I just have to find shoes and figure out how to do my hair."

Finn chuckled and let go of her hand as she faced him again. "You gonna be able to dance in this?"

She bit her lip in thought. "Do you think I could ask your mom to take up the bottom a little? I don't want to be a burden though. Maybe I can just hold it up when I walk or dance."

He chuckled. "You're going to do that all night? I don't want you to trip. My mom will totally take it up a little, okay?"

"Well as long as you insist." She winked at him, smiling softly.

He smiled and shook his head. "So Sam gave into wearing pink, huh?"

She beamed and looked at herself in the mirror. "He found it utterly pointless to argue with me."

"Yeah, I bet." Finn chuckled.

He placed a kiss on the back of her head, his arm sliding around her waist. She smiled as she looked down at his arm, her fingers running over his knuckles—but then she looked sad…even a bit annoyed.

"You okay?"

"What color are _you_ wearing?"

"For prom? I think green…like, a pine green but she may be wearing black so who knows."

She scrunched her nose. "So a green tie?"

Why was she all of a sudden having issues with what he was going to wear? He just said the color wasn't set in stone—Emily had to pick between a green and black dress.

"She's not sure what dress she wants to wear yet."

She didn't say anything to that, just nodded her head and curled some hair behind her ear. Finn's eyebrows furrowed in confusion; something was wrong but he didn't get what. Did she not like the color green or something? She had said blue looked nice on him and weren't they, like, in the same family? He couldn't even get started on why the hell _colors_ had families.

But then it dawned on him. Maybe it didn't have so much to do with the color as it did with _who_ was telling him that color…and who he was going to prom with.

Was she…jealous?

"Why are you upset?"

She turned around and looked at him. "I'm not upset."

He gave her a look that said, 'come on, Rach. I know you', which made her sigh and avoid his eyes.

He gently tapped her nose with his finger. "Come on, tell me."

"You're going to think I'm being silly." She said softly.

He smirked. "Well…good thing I already think that." He teased, making her smile a little.

Finn took her hand in his, trying to encourage her more. She huffed and Finn waited one more second before he asked.

"Are you jealous?" He tried to keep an amused tone out of his voice.

"No!" Rachel said quickly…a little bit _too_ quickly.

"Rach."

"It's just…I've heard you talk about Emily before and how much of a nice girl you think she is."

"That's because she _is_ a nice girl…" He started.

"But I know she likes you and what if she tries to come between us like Quinn!" She breathed out, her voice had a touch of hysterics.

Finn tried to calm her. "She won't, it's not like that Rachel."

"And I'm supposed to believe that she asked you because she's not _into_ you whatsoever?"

He sighed, trying not to get annoyed or upset with her. "She's made fun of a lot, you know. She always comes into bio with a change of clothes and tears in her eyes or on her face. And then…on top of it all, she tries to _smile_ at me. Like, the crap those asshole teammates of mine put her through is all okay!"

Rachel swallowed and squeezed his hand and he knew she was sorry—or maybe a bit ashamed for feeling the way she did.

"Emily just…she reminds me of you a lot. Everyone makes fun of her but…no one really knows her." He trailed his finger down her cheek, hooking it under her chin. He gently lifted it until her eyes were looking into his. "She asked me to go with her because no one else did, not even her friends."

"You're her friend." Rachel admitted softly.

He kissed her forehead. "Yes, I am. _Just_ her friend. Nothing more than that, okay? I promise."

She smiled softly, pecking his cheek. "You're a nice guy, Finn…really sweet."

He felt blush creep up his neck. "I try." He smiled, giving her a wink.

Rachel giggled softly as Finn's mom came around the corner, poking her head into the bathroom. "Oh, Rachel!"

Finn stepped back, his heart slamming against his ribcage at his mom's sudden appearance. He was just glad he hadn't jumped and tripped over Rachel's dress.

"Geez, mom. A little warning first? You almost gave me a contrary."

Rachel's smile was so wide that it looked like it didn't fit on her face. "I think you mean coronary, Finn."

He was really glad Rachel seemed to find his oblivious stupidity adorable. He followed her out into the hall where his mom made her turn in a circle whole giving her compliments on how gorgeous Rachel looked in her dress.

"Rachel was wondering if you could take it up on the bottom a little." Finn asked his mom—because he knew Rachel felt like too much of a burden if she asked. Even though Finn had tried to tell her that she wasn't. "She doesn't want to trip on it in heels."

"Oh, of course. Anything you want hunny. It's your dress after all." Carol smiled at Rachel, fixing a folded piece of fabric on the front of the dress.

"I just…you've already done so much." Rachel said quietly as his mom motioned for her to head into the bathroom to change back into her regular clothes.

His mom waited for her to come back out before she replied. "I can read you like a book sometimes, Rachel." She took the princess dress from her. "How many times do Finn and I have to tell you, sweet girl, that you are not a burden?"

Rachel blushed softly and glanced at him, playing with the ends of her light green sweater over her black plaid jumper.

"Just one more time, I suppose."

Carol smiled. "Didn't mean to embarrass you. I just wanted you to know."

Rachel bit her lip. "Thank you." She looked up at his mom. "I know I've said this before but…with everything going on with my dad." He watched as she fought tears that wanted to gather in her eyes. "You've been so wonderful. Not just with the prom dress but helping me get through all this so I don't feel so alone…"

Her voice broke and Finn moved closer, slipping an arm around her shoulder.

His mom smiled tenderly, going up to Rachel to run a hand through her hair. Rachel sniffled and smiled softly, trying to be stronger than she actually felt. Finn squeezed her shoulders, bringing her into his chest. She rested her head against him and bit her lower lip.

"You're a part of this family, Rachel. I pray for you and your dads every night." She stroked her hair comfortingly. "We're here for you no matter what."

Finn smiled softly, knowing her dads felt the same way about him…well, at least one of them did.

"Yeah, Rach. And your dad is going to get through this." He would say that as many times as it took for it to sink in. She needed to believe it too.

Carol smiled as she watched Finn place a kiss to Rachel's temple. "How about some dinner? Rachel, you can stay right?"

Rachel smiled, her hand sliding under her eye even though no tears had fallen. "Yeah. Yeah, I just have to call my dad to ask."

His mom looked over the bottom hem of the dress. "Alright, let me know. I'm thinking of making giant salads!"

Finn smiled as Rachel gave a soft giggle. He watched his mom head down the hall and then looked down at Rachel. She hadn't lifted her head from his chest. He gently placed a kiss on her hair, making her turn her head to look up at him.

"You okay?" He kissed her nose.

She managed a small smile. "Better when I'm with you." She admitted softly.

Finn smiled. He knew exactly how she felt.

0o0o0o0o0

"Green or black?"

Finn looked up from his food. "Are you sure you don't want any? My mom's leftover spaghetti is the best."

Emily smiled politely and shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm just here for your opinion on my dress."

"Uh…" Finn muttered, unintelligently.

He knew jack squat about dresses…or how they were supposed to fit on girls. All he knew was that Rachel had looked breathtaking in her princess dress…but that definitely wouldn't help his prom date choose between a strapless black dress and a stringy strap green one.

She giggled, her hair falling back over her shoulders. Finn really wished guys at school didn't treat her so awfully. She was really nice and had a pretty laugh. "I don't expect you to be some grand fashion designer with insight. I was just wondering if you had a preference."

Finn wasn't really sure what Emily wanted from him—he told her she'd look great in either one but that apparently wasn't the answer she was looking for. He didn't want to hurt her feelings though so…

"How about you try the black one on so I can see it on you?"

"Oh…" Her eyes brightened, like she hadn't thought about that. Finn smiled softly, shaking his head.

He stood up from his food and had her follow him down the hall to where Rachel had tried on her prom dress…the bathroom was like a friggin dressing room at this point.

"Here. I'll wait out here in case you need any help."

"Are you sure this is okay?"

He stared at her a moment, confused. "Why wouldn't it be?" She was trying on a dress not doing a strip tease for him.

"Just making sure." She said softly, giving him a soft smile before going into the bathroom.

She was a bit different from the Emily he knew in bio—he could tell that she was so afraid of doing something wrong that would make him dump her right before prom. She needed to relax a little; he wasn't like all those other asshole football players. He hadn't agreed to go with her out of some joke or prank where he dumped her right before prom to leave her dateless.

"Okay…" Emily said, while opening the door. "I got the zipper but could you tie the sash?"

"Yeah, no problem." Finn smiled and tied the black fabric around her tiny waist.

Emily turned and looked down at her dress. It was long and black, pooling out around the bottom like Rachel's princess dress. The top part had little fake pearls sewn onto the fabric.

"Well, not too bad right?" She asked softly.

"Not too bad?" He asked, tilting his head a little to look at her. Just like Rachel, Emily tended to look down on herself. He could thank half the cheerleaders and the football team for that.

"Emily, you look pretty." He said honestly, satisfied when a pink blush decorated her shoulders and a smile formed on her face. "Really pretty."

She grinned. "Thank you, Finn."

"Wear the black one, okay? My mom will probably have a perfect idea for the color of the corsage."

"Anything will be fine. I don't want to put you out of your way."

"It's not a chore, Em." He tried to tell her before she went back into the bathroom to change.

She came back out of the bathroom a few minutes later, holding her dress. "So…can you pick me up at eight-thirty?"

He frowned. "The dance is at nine."

"Yep."

"We're going to Breadstix first. I made a reservation for seven-thirty so…I should probably get you at six-thirty. My mom wants to take, like, a trillion pictures before we go." He rolled his eyes.

"You don't have to take me to dinner, Finn." Her voice said no but her face told him she was touched, longingly excited.

He couldn't understand why she was trying to brush this dance off like it didn't matter to her when it obviously _did_.

She went to turn around to go down the hall but he gently took hold of her arm. "Hey."

He waited until she looked at him, shifting nervously on her feet. She had never been nervous around him before…

"What's the matter? You were really excited about the dance last week and now it's like _I'm_ forcing you to go."

"I just—"

"I'm your date, Em. Dates usually include dinner. I love Breadstix. They have mini meatball Saturdays and free soup with an entrée." She giggled softly. "I'm taking you to dinner. I will drag you there if I have to." He gave her a wink, making her smile and look down at her feet.

"Okay, I guess I have no other choice." She joked, gently pushing his arm. He smiled and walked with her down the hall. "Well I better get going…"

"Why don't you stay a little? We can watch a movie or something."

She smiled at him. "'or something' include help with your bio homework?"

He blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Maybe."

She chuckled. "Fine, I suppose I could help you out."

"I'll make you spaghetti! You have to eat."

"Really, Finn. I'm fine." She said, setting her dress down on the chair in the living room. "I have to be home for dinner. Besides, won't your mom be mad for spoiling your dinner by eating all this spaghetti?"

"No, she works late so she told me to fend for myself. I'm lucky she trusts me with the microwave." At her confused look Finn just shook his head. "Long story, don't ask."

She smirked and sat down on the couch. "Alright." He sat next to her and watched her rummage through her book bag for her bio work.

"So you gonna tell me what happened?"

She frowned, looking over to him. "What do you mean?"

"Why you're not excited about prom."

She made a face. "I thought we were going to do biology."

He put the notebook that was on her lap on the table. "We are but you look like you wanna talk."

"I don't. It's fine. I'm excited about the dance."

Finn bit his lip. He wasn't quite sure why he kept pressing the issue but…she was his friend and he couldn't help that he just wanted to make her feel better. That's what friends did, right? He would hope she would do the same for him.

"Did someone say something to you…about going with me?" Emily looked down at her hands and Finn instantly knew he was right—she didn't even have to answer him. "Was it the guys on the football team again?"

Emily swallowed, avoiding his eyes. "They just…it wasn't about you. They just cornered me in the hallway and made sure to 'remind' me that they didn't want to see me at prom Saturday. They said the tranny prom was _next_ weekend." Her eyes filled with tears. "Everyone in the hallway heard and…laughed and stuff. I just don't feel like going now when all of them are going to be there."

Finn sighed softly closed his eyes a moment. Tranny prom? Really? Hadn't they used the same exact material on Rachel, like, freshman year? He guessed it didn't matter how often they used it…it still hurt to be told it and embarrassed in front of other people.

He opened his eyes to see that a few tears had fallen down Emily's cheeks—she quickly tried to wipe them away, like she was embarrassed that she was crying in front of him. Rachel always told him he gave great hugs so…maybe that would help. He scooted closer to her on the couch and wrapped his arms around her. He didn't really know what do when girls that weren't Rachel cried. He just ended up feeling guilty for some reason. When Rachel cried he knew all she needed was a bear hug and forehead kisses (she really loved those) and sometimes he knew what words to say to make it better.

Emily tensed in his arms just for a moment before she relaxed into him, letting herself lean into his chest. She sniffled softly as her head rested under his chin and he rubbed her arm.

"Look, those guys are assholes. I know it's hard but just _don't_ listen to them. We're going to have a really good time Saturday, I won't let any of them mess with you."

She smiled softly as she leaned up from him, wiping her face. He handed her a tissue. "Right, I'm sure that's exactly how you want to spend your night."

"Well, the night is only worth it if you're having a good time too."

She smiled, squeezing his hand for a moment. "Thanks, Finn. You're a really great friend."

Finn bit his lip as he smiled. "I try." He squeezed her hand too before he stood. "So…pasta?" He smirked as she rolled her eyes, giving in. He smiled slowly—score.

"Fine, but only a very small portion!"

He made her a plateful.

0o0o0o0o

Finn closed his biology book. "Thank you so much. I'd be totally lost without you in there."

Emily smiled as she packed up her books. "No problem. You catch on really fast, Finn. You could be good at it with some practice."

Finn doubted _that_ would ever happen. His phone vibrated in his pocket, a text from Rachel. He smiled softly as he read it. He loved it for two main reasons. One, it was from Rachel, and two, she mentioned something about cupcakes.

"That from Rachel?" Emily asked.

Finn typed back a response and looked at her. "Yeah, she was asking me something about cupcakes. She likes to bake."

"That must be nice to have a girlfriend who bakes."

Was that what Rachel was again? His girlfriend? He had decided a little while back that with everything with her dad and since she had just broken up with Sam that they were going to take things slow, that they wouldn't be anything specific until Rachel was ready. He was more than willing to take the relationship slow for her.

"She's not my girlfriend…I mean, not really."

"Oh."

"It's complicated."

She smiled. "But you love her and she loves you…sounds pretty simple to me." She winked at him, making him smile a little.

Yeah. Maybe it was _incredibly_ simple.

"You like anyone at school?" Finn asked, curious…and wanting the subject to change. He wasn't sure if it was really his place or not but she was talking about Rachel so he figured he could ask.

A blush spread over her cheeks. Finn took that as a yes. He smiled slowly. "You do!"

She chuckled and bit her lower lip. "Well, yeah. He's…I've only really talked to him a few times but he's…really sweet and nice to me, you know?"

Finn nodded. "You don't really deserve an asshole." Emily smiled softly in thanks. "So do I know him?"

"I don't really want to…"

"Tell me who it is." Finn finished. "Yeah, that's fair. Can you at least describe him a little?"

"Well, as I said, he's really nice, like you." Finn smiled softly. "He's helped me a few times in the hall when Amizo or Karaofsky get kind of rough…"

She looked down at her hands and Finn shook his head. He couldn't believe she wouldn't let him take care of this for her…well, at least try to anyways. She was, like Rachel, tripped and pushed into lockers by Amizo and Karaofsky. When she came into Bio one week with a huge bruise on her arm, Finn saw red and was ten seconds from walking out of that class to find them and punch their faces in. _No_ girl deserved to be pushed around or into stuff. Yeah, he'd probably get in trouble or maybe even get a suspension. But fuck, would it be _worth_ it.

"He helped me pick up my books and stuff like that." She smiled warmly. "He even knew a trick to get slushie out of favorite skirt."

Slushie. So he wasn't a popular guy…like a jock or someone in band (yeah, even the _band geeks_ were higher up on the popular chain than the glee kids).

But he didn't bring that up…he didn't want to force her to tell him if she didn't want to. He was just glad this guy that she liked didn't seem to be an asshole.

"So what movie do you want to watch?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Uhm, _500 Days of Summer_?" Her shoulders relaxed and she smiled.

Finn wrinkled his nose. "Isn't that Summer chick a bitch?"

She laughed. "Fine, fine. You pick."

"How do you feel about _Iron Man_?"

The playful roll of her eyes and side smile told him enough—he got up and popped the DVD in.

O0o0o0o0o

Finn waited patiently in the parking lot of Sheets n Things for Rachel to get out of work. He couldn't believe her asshole boss wouldn't let her take the day off. Finn wondered if Sam had to work today too and if he didn't, how the hell did he get out of it? Or maybe Saturdays just weren't in his regular work schedule.

He knew it was pretty easy for a guy to get ready for something fancy—shower, shave, deodorant, hair gel and clothes. Not that difficult. He needed an hour tops. But girls were different. Quinn had been getting ready for prom _months_ in advance. Rachel needed to get her hair done and…find matching shoes and stuff. Okay, so he had _no_ idea what girls needed so much time for.

He checked the time; four-thirty. He needed to pick up Emily in two hours. He had no idea what time Sam was coming to pick Rachel up but…he figured he was probably doing the same thing Finn was before prom—food and picture taking. So unless they were going to show up to the dance late, Sam had to be getting her around six-thirty also.

He just felt bad Rachel still had to work this shitty job. His bake sale idea had barely put a dent in the medical bills her father had. Finn sighed softly and squeezed the steering wheel—he hated feeling like this, he hated not being able to _do_ anything to actually help. Maybe he could try to get his job back at Sheets n Things or find one at a grocery store and give Rachel his pay. He rubbed the back of his neck—he could already hear her in his head, telling him that he didn't have to do that, that this wasn't his problem. But what Rachel didn't get was that he _wanted_ to make it his problem. She was the girl he loved and he hated seeing her so sad and frustrated and pissed off when there had to be something he could do to help. And if getting a job and giving up all his pay for however long it took helped Rachel and her dad then he'd do it.

Finn saw Rachel come out of the sliding automatic doors looking frazzled. He pushed on the horn of his truck before she could look around wondering where he was.

She looked up at the direction of his truck and started walking. He noticed while turning the heat on that she was talking to herself as she got closer to the truck door. He winced as she tried to open the door and ended up dropping everything in her hands—her book from school splaying across her feet and the pavement. She was mad and frantic about having to work and he knew she kept thinking about the time she didn't have to get ready. Knowing Rachel, she probably had, like, a schedule down to the hour that was titled "Getting Ready for Prom" (gold star sticker). And her working probably screwed that entire thing up.

He waited until she had stood from picking up her things before reaching across the seat to open the door for her. A gust of cool air hit him and he shivered. Shitty, bipolar weather of Ohio—not a great day for prom. It looked like it was about to rain and the temperature had dropped below comfortable cool weather around mid-afternoon.

Rachel got into the car, closing the door. She dropped her books and purse down by her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked really upset and Finn…didn't know what to do. He didn't want to piss her off even more by sitting there like a doorknob when she was already running out of time to get ready. He started his truck and made his way to her house.

He pulled into her driveway and turned to look at her after he turned off the engine. "I'm sorry you're here so late. I tried to drive a little bit above the speed limit."

She nodded softly and looked over at him. She gave him a small smile. "I just wish I was going with you."

He inched over before pulling her into him. Was that what she was upset about? He pushed his lips into his hairline. "I know. Me too. But you're going to have a really nice time with Sam. And besides, we'll still see each other. You still owe me a dance."

He looked down at her, kissing the tip of her nose. She giggled softly and he felt her rest even more into him. "See you in a little."

She leaned up and pressed her lips into his and he felt himself kissing her deeper and deeper until she finally had to push on his chest. He pulled back, her cheeks were flushed and her lips tinted red.

"Sorry." He murmured. "You shouldn't kiss so good."

Her cheeks got even darker if that was possible. "Well you shouldn't be so kissable!"

He chuckled and placed a warm and loving kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you tonight. And please have fun, okay?"

Rachel smiled and kissed his cheek before gathering her belongings. "Promise."

She smiled one more time at him before getting out of the truck, her hair bouncing against her shoulders as she walked to her front door. He waited until she was safely inside her house before pulling out to go home.

0o0o0o0o

So the next chapter is the prom and its going to be very angsty. I have it planned out. I'm sorry this took me so long to get to you guys but you have to understand that I'm not a machine and you have no idea the work load I'm under ): I hope everyone enjoyed and thank you to EVERYONE who reads and reviews and waits patiently for updates! Love you all and get you the next chapter as soon as I can write it!


	23. Chapter 23

Hi everyone! I'm thinking, including this chapter there should be about four left. So…review and enjoy! :) Thanks to everyone that has been adding this to story alert, adding it as your favorite story or even putting me under favorite author. I'm really honored. Thanks and enjoy!

0o0o0o0

Chapter 23

Emily looked beautiful, like, stunning. He honestly couldn't believe that the Emily that had opened the door for him was the _same_ exact Emily that he sat next to in Bio. She didn't look the same at all—understatement, she just…looked so much more adult like, for some reason.

Her brown hair was in tight curls which hung around her face and rested on her bare shoulders. The black dress fit her perfectly, seeming to make her even skinner but in an attractive way. Her green eyes were even brighter because of the makeup girls liked to pile on their face—but while she seemed to have a lot of makeup on, it all looked kinda natural. There was a light sheen of glitter on her shoulders and across the top of her breasts. Yeah, a giant shiny sign to distract him all night. He had to focus on her face (even though he couldn't deny that her boobs looked nice in her dress—especially with the sparkles…because Rachel Berry or not, he was a guy and he appreciated boobs).

He cleared his throat and walked through the doorway and looked around at the simple house. It kind of reminded him of Rachel's—the high ceiling, blue carpet and dark wooden furniture.

Emily asked. "My mom will be down in a minute, and then we can take pictures. Did you bring a camera for your mom?"

He nodded. "She checked the battery four times…we have to do at least three different poses."

She giggled. "I think we can handle that."

Finn smiled a little, relaxing a bit. "Oh, here…" He held out the plastic container that the corsage was in.

She came towards him and he realized her heels raised her height to the point of reaching his shoulders. "My mom decided something red would be best so…its tiny roses and uh…I have no idea what the little white flowers are called."

"Oh, wow. Finn it's beautiful. Thank you."

He smiled, her light flowery perfume wafted to his nose as she stepped back to get a similar container from a small table near the door. "I got a similar arrangement for you too! Well, a…single, red rose surrounded by white thingies, anyway."

Finn chuckled, taking the flower arrangement out if its tiny box. Emily held up her right hand up and Finn slid it around her wrist. He tired the decorative strings loosely around the elastic band holding it firmly to the top of her wrist.

As his hands lingered on her wrists, trying to figure out if he had put it on the right way, a flash from a camera went off to his right.

"Oh! Emmie bean!"

Finn raised his eyebrows, "Emmie bean?" He muttered, smiling a side smile at Emily.

She blushed darkly and elbowed him, causing him to chuckle. "Hush!" She hissed.

"You look so beautiful." Her mom continued, coming down the stairs to greet them. "You must be Finn Hudson."

He smiled softly at the small woman and held his hand out. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Please," She squeezed his hand. "Call me Kathy. Now get together! I'm sure we have lots of pictures to take."

Emily took his wrist and took him into the living room to stand in front of the fireplace. He smiled for the pictures and tried to focus on what Emily was saying to her mother—but all he could think about was Rachel and what she and Sam were doing.

0o0o0o0

Finn closed the truck door on the passenger side, making sure Emily's dress wasn't in the way. He got into the truck and started it.

"So Breadstix, huh?"

Finn smiled at her. "Yeah, that alright? I guess I should have asked."

"No! It's fine." She smiled at him, shivering as she set her small purse down next to her feet. "I love Breadstix."

"You cold?"

She nodded. "It's my fault for not grabbing my shawl before I left. I'm sure I'll be fine, the car is heating up and the dance is inside."

Finn didn't want her shivering until the truck heated up but, as his hand twitched to reach into the backseat for the blanket he kept there—he couldn't give it to her.

Even though he hadn't really meant for it to happen, all he could think about was Rachel when it came to that blanket. He guessed because it technically had been for _her_ when they were dating. But it just felt…wrong giving it to another girl. It was Rachel's blanket. Just for her—just because she _insisted_ on wearing short skirts in the middle of winter.

He leaned up and shrugged his jacket off, motioning for her to lean up too. He settled it around her shoulders, smiling softly as he pulled back from her.

"Better?"

She smiled. "Much, thank you."

He smiled back and pulled out of the driveway, heading down the road to Breadstix.

He kept wondering if _Sam_ had a blanket for Rachel in the backseat of his car. Finn smirked softly to himself. Probably not.

0o0o0o0

Breadstix was packed with people, like, he couldn't move left or right without stepping on someone's dress or over-shined shoes. Finn thanked Cheesus four times that he had made a reservation—they were seated ten minutes after walking in the door.

Finn sat facing the doorway, feeling a bit bad for all the couples that had to wait hours for an available table. He saw a few glee people walk in with their dates—Artie and Brittany, Tina and Mike and Puck and Quinn. Honestly he kept wishing Rachel would walk in—though he didn't know if this was where Sam was even taking her for dinner.

He looked at Emily who was cutely biting her lip across from him, looking over her menu. He shouldn't have cared whether or not Sam and Rachel were going to show up because he was…technically on a date with someone else but as hard as he tried his thoughts kept landing on Rachel. Did she find shoes that matched her dress? Was her hair up or down? Did Sam take her to a nicer restaurant in an attempt to outdo what Finn could?

He tried to swallow his jealousy at the thought of it. But…what if Rachel went on this prom 'date' and suddenly decided that she didn't want to be with him anymore? That she had made a huge mistake in wanting to try and be with him all over again? Yeah, Sam had broken up with her but…he knew he'd totally take her back in an instant if he could (especially if Rachel was interested in him again).

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Finn looked up at Emily, who had her hand on his wrist.

She looked worried. "Are you okay?" She asked again, pulling her hand back to glance around at surrounding tables.

Everyone was talking with their dates or groups rather loudly but some people were looking at them. He gave them confused looks.

"If you don't want to…we could go."

He didn't understand what she was trying to get at but…all he knew was that he felt like an asshole for thinking about Rachel when he should have been focused on his date. His daydreaming had obviously been seen as disinterest. And he could tell Emily was already worried about popular cheerleaders looking over at them: seeing a bored Finn Hudson with his "loser pity date" Emily. Fuck, no. That wasn't what was going on.

"No, I'm sorry. I uh, was trying to pick between chicken alfredo and chicken parmesan."

She smiled softly. "I'd go with the alfredo. Sometimes the chicken parmesan is kind of dry."

Finn was about to say reply but something pink caught his eye by the entrance. He'd know that dress and airy laugh anywhere.

Rachel walked in with Sam, who was talking to her about some comic book superhero or some shit. Finn couldn't take his eyes off Rachel—she looked breathtakingly beautiful. It wasn't like she hadn't looked gorgeous at his house trying the dress on and everything but…this was different somehow. She had small gold heels on and her hair was curled in tight loops, much like Emily's, but Rachel had some of the curls pulled back from her face.

"She looks beautiful." Emily said softly, turning her head to see what Finn was being distracted by.

Finn shook his head, trying to clear some of the 'Rachel-fog'. "Well, yeah. I mean, uh, you do too."

And what the fuck was _that_? He didn't want Emily to feel bad about herself and then he was kind of embarrassed that he had been staring open-mouthed at his ex (current? Ex? …kind of dating?) girlfriend and out came that awkward as hell comment.

She raised her eyebrows and chuckled at him. "Thank you? Do you want to see if they want to sit with us?"

Finn's eyes widened. "What?"

"There's no free tables and they'll be lucky if they get one before the dance is half over. We're at a table for four so…I just thought…"

Finn cleared his throat. "I just, you'd be okay with that?"

She smiled. "It's no secret that you've been thinking about Rachel."

He blushed. "I'm sorry."

"I don't mind…I wish a boy thought about me the way you think about her." She looked at the table, smiling softly. Finn smiled sympathetically and touched her hand for a moment. "Besides, we're friends." She looked up at him and playfully tapped the end of his nose with her finger. He smirked softly. "So I'll go ask."

"You sure?" He tugged her hand as she got stood up from the table.

"Technically I have you all to myself at the dance." She joked, giving him a wink. He chuckled and let go of her hand. "I'll be fine."

He watched her head over to them and smiled softly when Rachel's eyes brightened as she looked over at him. She waved enthusiastically as Sam gave Emily a hug hello—Finn hadn't realized that they knew each other.

Finn stood as they all came back to the table and his stomach flipped as Rachel hugged him around his waist, squeezing him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, leaning down to place a small, hidden kiss near her ear.

"You look beautiful." He whispered.

He felt her smile against his suit jacket before she pulled back. "Thank you, Finn."

Sam smiled softly at Finn, nodding hello. He let Rachel slide into one side of the booth before sitting down. Finn did the same for Emily on the other side of the table.

"Thanks for letting us share the table." Sam said, looking between him and Emily.

"Don't thank me; it was all Emily's idea." Finn smiled at her.

"Well, we all kind of know each other but uhm, actually I think this is the first time I'm meeting you, Rachel."

Rachel looked up at her and held her hand out. "Finn talks a lot about you."

Emily blushed and Finn thought for a moment he saw a wave of jealousy pass over Rachel's face but…it might have been in his head.

"I'm sure it's just about how good of a lab partner I am." Emily took her hand and shook it lightly. "I've heard a lot about you too."

"I'm sure it's just about how good of a singer I am." Rachel muttered and took her hand back. Finn raised his eyebrows and he noticed Sam looked a bit uncomfortable.

Emily shifted next to him and he felt her glance over at him before looking down at her menu. Before he could give Rachel a face that asked, '_Okay, what the hell was that about_?' the waitress approached the table.

"You kids ready to order?" The elderly woman asked, holding up her notepad. "Wait a minute…did this group multiply?"

Rachel giggled softly. "Yes, we were invited by our friends. Can we have one more minute?"

"Of course, take your time." She smiled and waddled back to the kitchen.

Finn turned his head to look at Emily and ask her what she was going to order but before he could he noticed her nervously playing with part of her dress under the table. Finn's eyebrows knitted together a little…why was she nervous? Did that jab from Rachel upset her or…?

He glanced up at Rachel and Sam, who were looking over a shared menu, pointing out options that sounded good.

As he looked back at Emily, her eyes had moved from the menu she had been looking at to Sam. The realization hit Finn like a football play gone wrong. _Sam_. Emily was into _Sam_. He was a nice guy and he could totally see him sticking up for her when it came to assholes like Amizo and Karofsky—after all, he'd been the same person who had taken a punch to the face for Kurt.

Finn knew what it felt like to like someone, be in love with them even, and… _have to watch them be into someone that _isn't_ you. _

Finn thought as he looked at Rachel—he'd just been through this with her and Sam. Emily was nervous because Sam obviously was still into Rachel. He knew that awful feeling—that sinking feeling that had made him feel like he was already out of time with Rachel, that'd he'd never get her to notice him or get her back, that he was stuck with these emotions forever (because he loved her, and those emotions were never going to disappear. No matter how hard he tried to get rid of or ignore them). So, yeah. He knew exactly how Emily felt.

He inched his hand over and took hers off her dress, squeezing it gently.

'_Relax_,' He tried to tell her with his eyes as she looked up at him.

She swallowed and ran her thumb over his knuckles, biting her lower lip as she looked down at their hands.

He squeezed again, trying to get her to understand that he _knew_ without actually having to say anything outloud. When he looked up again, Rachel was shooting daggers with her eyes at him. He swallowed; he was pretty sure he could feel actual blades pushing into his skin. Fuck, shit and other swear words. Could she see their hands or something? Because it was totally…like, okay, holding hands like this wasn't exactly friendship-like but he could explain and stuff.

"Excuse me." Rachel turned to Sam. Finn noticed her voice shake. "I need up…to use the restroom."

"Oh, yeah, course." Sam shifted up off the booth and Rachel shot out of there like a bat out of hell. Finn winced and glanced at Emily.

"Was that my fault?" She asked softly, probably low enough that Sam couldn't hear.

Finn turned his head to watch Rachel walk (storm off was more like it) to where the bathrooms were located. He sighed softly and turned back to look at Emily. "No, that wasn't you." He glanced at Sam and leaned closer to Emily to whisper in her ear. "I'll be right back. Talk to him!"

Emily's eyes widened and she shook her head as Finn tried to get up. She tugged his hand and, geez did the girl have some grip. He smirked softly, knowing she was probably going to kill him but…she needed to get on Sam's radar and he needed to go check on a small, pissed off ex-girlfriend.

"Hey, Sam, did you know that Emily likes the entire series of _Batman_?" Emily kicked him in the shin and he squeezed her hand one more time before he stood up.

Sam looked at her and smiled easily. "Really? Even the George Clooney ones?"

Emily swallowed nervously and smiled, her cheeks tinting pink. "Yes, even those. I think those are some of the best ones, actually."

Sam chuckled. "Me too!"

Emily giggled and Finn walked away feeling fucking proud of himself because he was, like, better than cupid's arrow on that one. Maybe while he danced one of the slow songs with Rachel at the dance, Emily could dance with Sam. He had a feeling that Sam liked her, what wasn't to like? So maybe they needed a few pushes…but he was so determined to get them together because, one, he really liked Emily. She was a good friend and deserved a good guy like Sam and two, if Sam was dating someone else Finn could finally have Rachel to himself and not have to worry about him pursuing Rachel (yeah, he wasn't _totally_ selfless in this plan to hitch those two together).

He turned the corner and waited for Rachel to come out of the bathroom. He ran a hand through his hair, hoping she wasn't too pissed. Although, she did get an adorable crinkled nose everytime she was angry.

She came out a few minutes later and literally ran into him, course she didn't apologize when she realized who it was.

"Oh, what are you doing here? Can Emily handle you being away from her for very long?" She huffed, trying to go past him but Finn blocked her way.

"Seriously? What is this? I told you how I felt about Emily. We're friends, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

She crossed her arms over her (very nice) chest. "Holding hands under the table doesn't sound very friend like to me!"

Her nose crinkled and Finn bit his lip hard to keep from smiling. "Rachel…yeah, okay, that doesn't but I can explain. But first…why did you bite her head off before? She was just trying to be nice, you know, you wouldn't even be sitting with us if it wasn't for her."

She shifted on her feet. "I…I was just—"

"Jealous?"

"Like you've never been guilty before!"

Now Finn laughed. "Yeah, I know, but you're teetering on the 'ridiculous Berry' edge again."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He took her hands and squeezed them in his, pulling her closer until she was up against him. "It means, that I told you I was _only_ interested in one girl and her name isn't Emily."

A small smile broke out, even though she shook her head and tried to keep the cute scowl on her face; because apparently, goddamnit, she was mad at him.

"Besides," He continued. "Emily is interested in someone else."

He smiled; raising his eyebrows at her as he gently gripped her waist and moved her to his left, forcing her to face the restaurant. He turned her body so that she could see their table, where Sam and Emily were laughing over something. He heard Rachel gasp and covered her mouth with her hand.

"I had no…idea."

Finn smiled softly and placed a kiss in her hair. "Me neither but…you can't tell her I told you, okay?" She turned around and he kept his hands on her waist. "I don't want to betray her confidence."

"No, I won't." She smiled softly…then a light bulb seemed to go off in her head, because her face lit up with a sudden idea. "We have to get them together!"

Finn looked at her and then at Sam and Emily. "Wait, you wanna what?"

She giggled, tugging his hand. "Match them up, silly! We have to play cupid!"

She sounded way too excited and Finn didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Isn't cupid a fat baby with arrows? I never understood why a baby would have arrows…"

"Focus, Finn!" She tugged his arm and he shook his head, smiling softly at her.

He bit his lower lip and looked at Emily and Sam a moment before he let his eyes wander back to Rachel's face. "I dunno, Rach…"

He had tried to play matchmaker before—tried to put Quinn and Sam together. Yeah, that had been totally Rachel's idea and it was for, like, the betterment of the glee club and stuff but…they had started dating and everything after they had sung their duet together. Sam and Quinn had been together for a while…and probably still would have been if it hadn't been for him. After all, _he_ was the one that messed that one up. Although…Quinn wasn't exactly innocent but that wasn't the point.

But there was _no_ way in hell something like that was going to happen again if he and Rachel managed to get Sam and Emily together.

"Come on…" Rachel pouted, her lip jutting out a little.

He sighed, his argument (not like he really had one but whatever) falling when he saw her pout. He hated (and somehow, at the same time, loved) that she could just get her way like that.

"Don't pout." He smirked, going to kiss her lower lip.

She smiled as his lips touched hers. She kissed him softly before he finally caved. "Fine, but only if you promise not to snap at Emily anymore."

"Deal!" She stuck her hand out, which Finn took, shook and then laced his fingers around hers.

0o0o0o0

Finn took Emily's hand and helped her out of the truck, watching her pull his suit jacket tighter around her shoulders.

By the time they had finished dinner, it was a half of an hour pass the time the dance was supposed to start. No one really minded though because no one wanted to be super early or on time. The parking lot was filled with cars looking for parking spaces, girls walking in groups towards the school and a few couples still in their cars…fogging up the windows.

"I don't think he likes me."

Finn made a face. "What gave you that crazy idea?"

She smiled softly and shivered as he closed the truck door. "I don't know…Sam's nice so it's hard to tell if he's genuinely interested or just being polite."

Finn could see where she was coming from but he was worried that all this put-down on herself wouldn't attract Sam. She needed to be a bit more confident.

"Em, you have to have a little more faith in yourself." He knew the people at school had basically destroyed her self-esteem. He held his arm out for her to take.

"You mean confidence?" She squeezed his arm. "I've always been kinda lacking in that category."

He chuckled softly as they walked up to the school. "Just be yourself." He gave her a soft smile. "There's nothing more confident and attractive than that."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to play matchmaker, Finn Hudson."

_ABORT MISSION; ABORT MISSION_! "No, I'm just trying to be a good friend." He lied, smoothly.

Emily smiled warmly. "I feel like I'm getting trade secrets on how you guys think."

"Top secret," Finn joked, winding through a crowd of other people they went to school with. He made sure that he didn't lose her. "If you tell anyone, I'll have to kill you."

She gasped playfully and pretended to zip her mouth closed. Finn chuckled and walked down the hall to where the coat room was.

He turned into one of the science rooms where girls were dropping off coats, scarves, purses and those wrap thingies for their shoulders. Finn led Emily through the gossiping and giggling girls to find a corner where Emily could put her purse. He noticed that the room had gotten sort of quiet, or maybe it was more whispered—as Emily handed back his suit jacket. He glanced around as he slid it back on, fixing the collar. Girls around them whispered to their friends and sent jealous glares in Emily's direction. Emily was a lot prettier than most of the popular girls in school, in Finn's opinion, and he knew the fact that a 'loser' like her scoring the 'quarterback' for prom just didn't sit well with some people for lame, and plain mean reasons.

"Do you think I'll need my phone?" Emily asked him, but he was too busy looking at Janet—a girl from his English class. She was looking at Emily like a vulture, ready to swoop and gnaw on her head or something.

"Uh." He looked at Emily. Yeah, he definitely did _not_ like how some of those girls were looking at her…or her purse. "Why don't you take your purse with you to the tables in the gym?" He said, loud enough that only she could really hear him. "That way you can keep an eye on it and check your phone when you need to."

She looked up at him. "Oh." She said, seeming to understand his underlying message. "Okay, I guess we should get going then."

She led the way out of the coat room—but not before Janet, in her bright red dress, stepped on the back of Emily's. It all seemed accidental, but a look (a smug smile that Finn _wished_ he could wipe off her face) told him it really wasn't.

Emily stumbled and Finn heard a part of her dress tear, he reached forward and grabbed her arm so she wouldn't tumble into any coat racks. She gasped and turned her head to look down her back, trying to figure out what part was torn.

Finn licked his lips and looked at Janet, trying to keep his anger in check. He would _not_ get thrown out of this dance—he had matchmaking to do and Rachel would be pissed at him for yelling at a girl but Cheesus, it was so hard to keep his mouth shut.

"Sorry." Janet said a slight giggle on the end of her word. "I guess that's what you get for buying a cheap dress; it tears easily."

As the girls around Janet giggled, Finn glared at her and tenderly settled his hand on the back of Emily's waist.

"Come on, Em. Let's go."

He didn't have to tell her twice; she held the front of her dress up and rushed out of there as fast as her heels could take her. As soon as they left the room she turned the corner, heading down the hall a little where it was less populated.

"How bad is it?" Emily asked softly, turning her head a little to look at him. Her cheeks were bright red from being embarrassed.

Finn swallowed and looked down at her dress. He gently tugged on the fabric to see if there were any holes in the dress and—

Finn winced as he saw a quarter sized hole near the top of her butt…it definitely would show some of her lacy underwear (which were red, Jesus Christ, he shouldn't have been staring at them for so long) when she walked or danced.

He didn't want to tell her. But he couldn't not tell her either.

"It's bad isn't it?" Her voice cracked and he noticed that she couldn't look at him as she said it.

He slowly went around the front of her and saw her eyes were filled with tears. "It's not…that bad."

"I was so stupid to think I just…just come here and have a good time. Everyone here _hates_ me—" A sob escaped her mouth and Finn's heart broke in his chest. He took her arms into his hands and squeezed.

"Hey, no, that's _not_ true. I don't hate you."

Another sob spilled from her mouth as tears pushed over her eyelashes. Finn gently brought her into his chest, trying to gently rub her back.

"Shh, it's okay." He tried. It wasn't but…what else could he really say? "Shh…"

"Hey…"

Finn looked up and saw Rachel and Sam hovering near them, looking concerned as they looked at a crying Emily in his arms. When Emily heard Sam speak, she quickly pulled back from him, trying to quickly wipe her tears like she hadn't been crying.

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked, looking from her to Finn. She went closer and touched Emily's arm. "Emily, what happened?"

She tried smiling and Finn glanced at Sam. His eyes were all over Emily, searching her face, trying to figure out what was wrong. He and Sam were alike in the same way that they hated to see girls cry—he could see it on his face.

"Janet purposely stepped on Emily's dress and now there's a hole."

"I'm sure it's not too bad," Sam smiled at her. "You still look beautiful."

Her blush got even darker if that was possible. She laughed but it was caked with held back tears. "Yeah, I'm sure I look gorgeous with all this makeup running down my face."

Rachel smiled. "You'd be surprised." She took her hand. "Come on, I have a sewing kit in my locker for such occasions as mean cheerleaders. I can try to patch it up as best as I can…it'll at least work for tonight until you can get it to a proper seamstress."

Sam stepped forward. "Here, let me do it."

Rachel looked up at him and Finn smiled softly as Emily's face went tomato red. "You can sew?"

Now it was Sam's turn to blush. Finn could tell Emily felt bad for embarrassing him—but seriously, Sam could sew? Did he knit sweaters too?

"Well…my grandma has kinda been teaching me how to work her sewing machine. I uh," He chuckled, embarrassed. "I'm actually kinda good at it. Besides, I could probably figure out how to work the thread through without you having to take your dress off."

Rachel's face brightened like the sun was shining right out of her eyeballs. "That's very nice of you Sam. I think it's great that your grandma has taught you how to sew."

Finn knew Rachel was just trying to make Sam feel less embarrassed but he couldn't keep a wise ass remark from slipping out of his mouth. "Yeah, if you're eighty." He murmured.

That earned him Rachel stepping on his foot. He jerked his throbbing foot back and glared at her. "Ow." He said, pointedly.

Rachel smiled at him sweetly. "Sorry." She turned back to Sam as he went to stand next to Emily. "Maybe you can make me a scarf sometime."

Sam blushed. "Well I'm just on a sewing machine now, who knows if I'll ever take up knitting."

Finn just stared at the girls in front of him. So knitting like a grandmother was suddenly the hottest thing ever? Where the hell was Rachel trying to go with this? If anyone heard he was knitting sweaters for his goddamn girlfriend they'd be asking him if he a: joined a vagina club while he was at it or b: lived in nursing home.

"Alright, well…Rach, do you need to get him your sewing kit?"

"No, it's cool. I know her locker combo." Sam smiled.

Finn resisted rolling his eyes—of course he did. Did everyone who dated Rachel get to know her freaking locker combo?

He watched Emily walk down the hall with Sam, smiling shyly at him every once in a while. Finn looked down at Rachel when she looked up at him.

"We are the best matchmakers ever."

Finn snorted. "Yeah, except none of that was planned. It's not like _I_ stepped on Em's dress."

"No, but at least something bad could turn into something good. Now we just have to make sure he asks her to dance."

"And if he doesn't?"

She winked at him. "Then plan B is activated!"

Finn's eyebrows crinkled. "We had a plan B? I thought it was phase 2."

"That's the same thing, Finn."

He blushed. "Oh."

She smiled widely and grabbed his hand, tugging him into the gym. Now all they had to do was wait for Sam and Emily to return.

0o0o0o0o0

Pounding rap music blasted from speakers, shaking Finn's eardrums. The music was loud enough that he could nearly feel the beat in his chest. The school's colors, red and white, were represented with paper streamers and balloons across the ceiling and floor. Finn smiled at all the people, laughing and dancing to the music, others were seated at the tables talking animatedly with drinks in hand. A few couples waited in line to the left of the gym to get their picture taken under an arch of stars.

"We should get our picture under there." Rachel turned her head to look at what he was talking about. "You know, since stars are kinda your thing."

She smiled brightly. "You remembered."

There was no way he was ever going to forget. "Of course," He playfully bumped his hip with hers. "You remind me every so often."

He smiled as her hand found his as a slow song swelled through the gym, making every couple grab onto their significant other and hold them close. Finn took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Rachel's waist to pull her close to him. He lifted her up just a little and held her against him, gently swaying to the beat. Rachel smiled and effortlessly wrapped her arms around him, her fingers running over the nape of his neck.

"Did your dads get to see how pretty you looked before you came to the dance?"

Rachel blushed softly. "Sam stopped by the hospital so I could go in to show them. It's much better than sending a picture." She said; her voice barely over the music.

"I'd have to agree on that one."

She stepped on his foot but he didn't care. "Dad made such a fuss. He wanted to take my picture with his cell phone to send to everyone he worked with."

Finn chuckled. "And your daddy?"

She bit her lip. "He was a little…out of it, because of the drugs but, he smiled at me." Rachel looked up at him. "You know, genuinely smiled. I could tell that…even though he's so miserable, scared, at the end of his rope," She swallowed. "That seeing me all dressed up like a princess, ready to head to a ball—it made him happy. The smile was honest."

Finn couldn't help it. He leaned down and kissed her softly, cupping her face in his hand. He ran his thumb over her cheekbone, his nose sliding perfectly against hers. As he pulled back, she smiled—licking her lips, as if trying to taste him again. It made him blush.

"What was that for?" She asked widely.

Finn chuckled. "I need an excuse to kiss my girlfriend?"

Rachel's eyes widened and Finn hoped that she wouldn't move away from him…or slap him across the face or something.

"I'm…I'm your girlfriend?"

Finn bit his lip. She sounded surprised more than anything so Finn guessed that was a good thing. "Yeah, if you want to be, you know…again."

"I would love to be your girlfriend again, Finn Hudson." She smiled up at him.

There was something soft and tender in her eyes, something so deep that Finn wasn't sure he understood completely. He thought he had seen something similar when he had first told her that he loved her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her gently, making her giggle and squeal. This time he vowed that nothing would become between them; that he would never do anything to screw things up.

This time they'd get it right; and it'd be perfect.

0o0o0o0o0o

A little more of the prom to come :) thanks for everyone understanding that school has taken over my life :/ anyways, thanks for reading! Hope this update was enjoyable :) will get another chapter out as fast as I can!


	24. Chapter 24

Hi everyone :). Here's chapter 24! Once again, thanks everyone for being patient with my schedule and for loving my story ;) Love you guys! I didn't expect this story to take a more R rated turn but it has and there is some NC-17/R material in this chapter. I believe I changed my story rating accordingly.

Enjoy :)

0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 24

Finn held onto Rachel's hand as she pulled him through the slow dancing crowd of his class mates, trying to find a good place. Rachel was determined to find the perfect little spot to slow dance; he could tell by the way she kept tugging him left and right.

She stopped and turned to face him, stretching her arms up around his neck. Finn reached down to wrap his arms around her waist, fitting her snuggly against his body. He squeezed her gently, making her smile and blush. He loved holding her so close against him—he felt like he was protecting her or keeping her safe. It was probably kind of lame that he had this white knight complex with her—but she didn't seem to mind when he protected her from zombies at a Halloween scare fest or kept her close and safe at the top of a ferris wheel.

He felt her thumbs run over the hair at the top of his neck, making him shiver. She smiled softly, like she had almost done it on purpose and rested her head against his chest. He wondered if she could hear his heartbeat and how it sped up every time she sighed softly or when she snuggled closer to him. He hoped she knew that every heartbeat was saying her name.

At the end of the slow song Finn took her hand off his waist and pulled back, spinning her. He chuckled as she spun with a grin, her dress flowing out around her.

As another song started Finn took a look around the gym, looking for any signs of Emily or Sam. They had been gone for a pretty long time and even though Finn wasn't trying to, he was starting to worry about Emily. Although…maybe it was a _good_ thing that they were taking their time. He could spend more time with Rachel and Emily could get to know Sam better (and maybe start to develop a relationship with him).

"You want punch?" Finn asked.

Rachel smiled up at him, her hand effortlessly falling into his. "Yeah, I would love some."

She walked with him to the punch bowl and released her hand to get them both a cup of punch. He watched her shift on her feet, sipping from the tiny cup.

"Like the airplane cups." Rachel said, smiling knowingly at him.

He was pretty sure he had the stupidest grin on his face and that he had never loved her more than he did at this moment. He clinked cups with her and suddenly—everything seemed to go quiet and it was just them, in the auditorium, blankets and music papers scattered around, hushed whispers and sexual tension, something deep inside him that indentified with her—made him think about her all the time, made him fall in love her even though he barely knew her.

"You know, you can kiss me if you want to." He repeated her words perfectly, her voice ringing in his ears.

She scrunched her nose and playfully pushed his chest. "Ew, no."

Finn laughed as she broke the scene completely, bringing him back to reality—loud, thumping rap music filling his ears. He pouted. "Fine."

She giggled and leaned up to peck his lips once before making a pained expression.

"Shoes hurting you?" He asked, reading her like an open book.

She nodded, holding onto his arm to keep her balance as she raised her one leg up off the ground to rub the back of her ankle.

"Here, let's sit for a while."

Finn guided her to the table where Rachel had set down her purse. She sat down in one of the chairs and set her cup down on the table. Finn sat next to her, watching her reach down to un-strap her shoes.

"I'm not used to wearing such high heels."

Finn smiled. "Good, I don't need you to be just as tall as me."

Rachel leaned back in her chair, sighing with content. Finn patted his thighs and she smiled softly, lifting her legs up to rest on his lap. Finn tugged her dress up just a little to get a glimpse of her shins—tan and muscular and oh so soft. He ran his hand over her ankles, gently rubbing. He could pick up hints of her cinnamon scented lotion. While his one hand rubbed her ankles, the other gently massaged her shins.

"You painted stars on your toes?" He asked, noticing the little yellow stars.

She blushed. "I wanted to make my feet look cute."

"You already have cute feet." Finn looked up at her as he rubbed her skin.

And he meant that too…Finn wasn't exactly too fond of feet. They were kinda gross and creeped him out. Rachel's were small, adorable, and soft and she always had her nails painted. Maybe he only really liked them because they were _hers_.

He was pretty sure he liked everything about her.

She shook her head and scrunched her nose—and he really loved when she did that.

"No!"

Finn laughed and tickled the arch of her right foot. She gasped and tried to pull away but he took a good hold of her ankle so she couldn't.

"Finn Hudson, I am very ticklish!" Oh, he already knew that…and for some reason it made his pants tighten a little. "And if you don't want me to kick you, let go of my ankle."

He snorted and dropped her ankle, putting his hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright. Don't assault me."

Rachel watched his hands go back to her ankles, making sure he wasn't going to tickle her again before she relaxed against his touch.

"So how did you tell Sam about Emily?"

Rachel bit her lip and checked her phone for any new messages. "I told him that she liked him."

He choked on his punch and he felt Rachel lean over to pat his back as he coughed. "You what? I thought we weren't supposed to tell them flat out!"

She laughed softly. "_You_ said we shouldn't tell them. I find directness much more efficient than beating around the bush."

He shook his head as his eye caught Emily and Sam walk back into the gym. Emily looked alright, she was smiling and Sam looked comfortable—no sign of him wanting to bolt to find Rachel.

Finn watched as Sam said something to Emily but he couldn't tell what…and it didn't matter because she was distracted by someone walking towards her.

Finn's fist clenched. Amizo.

"Finn," Rachel pulled on his elbow. He hadn't even realized he had stood up. "Wait."

"I promised her I wouldn't let anyone mess with her, Rachel."

She smiled softly. "Just look."

Finn sighed and stared at the couple like his girlfriend asked him too. He saw that Sam had stepped in front of Emily, taking her hand in his. He must have said a few choice words to Amizo because he backed off, heading out the door as fast as his lardass could take him. Finn smirked, sitting back down. He wondered if Sam had threatened to sick Coach Beiste on him or something.

Emily was grateful, her smile brilliant. Finn couldn't help but smile softly as Sam gently took Emily into the crowd of people to dance with her.

"Looks like plan B doesn't need to be initiated." Rachel said, giggling as she saw Sam spin Emily.

That was cool with him…he was pretty sure he didn't really remember what plan B was anyways. He took Rachel's hand in his and squeezed.

0o0o0o0o0

Emily wrapped Finn's jacket around her as the wind picked up across the parking lot. She squeezed Finn's arm as they walked to his truck. Finn walked with her, patiently taking slow steps as she leaned into him a little.

"I'm really sorry about stepping on your feet…twice." He winced, sympathetically. "I just…I really shouldn't be allowed to dance in public. Or ya know, with people around."

She giggled as he unlocked the truck door and held onto his hand to get inside. "Like in the movie _Footloose_?"

He scrunched his eyebrows. "Is that the one with that Bacon guy?"

Finn smiled as she laughed. "Yeah, Finn, Kevin Bacon."

He closed the door and rounded the truck, climbing into the driver's seat. He switched on the heat after turning the car on.

"So…you and Sam…" Finn peeked over at her in time to see her blush and shyly smile.

She looked down at her lap. "What about him?"

"What do you mean, 'what about him?'. He likes you!"

Emily bit her lip. "Finn…"

"No, don't do that." He said firmly, turning around in his seat to face her.

"Do what?" She asked softly.

"Don't talk yourself out of being happy. He _likes_ you. I would not push this if I wasn't right." He smiled. "And I am."

She smirked softly and looked up at him from under dark lashes.

"So you gonna tell me what happened with you two? You were gone for a long time…" His tone of voice gave away what he was really trying to say.

She gasped and squeezed his side, making him jump up. "Hey! I'm ticklish!"

"Finn! Nothing dirty happened." Giggles overcame her voice. "Get your head out of the gutter."

He chuckled and pulled her hand away from his side. "Okay, then tell me what you two were doing."

Emily licked her lips. "Well, we went into one of the empty classrooms after he got Rachel's sewing kit."

At the mention of Rachel, Finn thought about her sewing one of her brightly colored sweaters…maybe he should ask her if she could sew a hole he had managed to get in one of his favorite shirts. Because obviously, Rachel sewing one of his shirts was so much hotter than his mom doing it…especially when she wore short skirts and sat perched up on his bed, legs angled slightly that he almost got a glimpse of her—

"He managed to sew my dress without me having to remove any clothing. We just…talked." She smiled. "It was nice."

Finn cleared his throat, trying to wipe his mind clear of Rachel on his bed. Why did naughty Rachel always have to pop up in his mind at the wrong time? He unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up to his elbows. The heat of the car was really getting to him all of a sudden.

"What did you two talk about?"

"Our families, and favorite TV shows…he talked about Glee and football and his grandma. I told him…about my paintings."

Finn raised his eyebrows. "You can paint? I didn't know that."

She blushed. "I'd never told anyone that before. I've…been painting since my dad died."

Finn looked at her, running his eyes over her face. He hadn't known about that either…he knew what it was like to not have a dad, at least before Burt. He hoped Rachel would never have to know that feeling.

He reached across the seat and took her hand in his, gently running his thumb over the inside of her wrist. He didn't know when she had lost her dad but her eyes told him that it hadn't been that long ago.

"A year," She said softly, like she had heard his thoughts. "It's been a year."

So time had passed—but it still felt like yesterday.

"Drunk driver." She swallowed. "Hit and run."

Finn shook his head softly, his other hand touching her arm. "I'm so sorry."

She smiled softly at him and nodded. "My art…it uh, it had started out as some sort of art therapy but I realized that I was sort of good." She laughed softly, but it was kind of sad sounding. "So I kept at it."

"And you're good?"

She blushed. "I've been told so by a few…so unless everyone's vision is going…"

Finn smirked. "You gonna show Sam any of them?"

She bit her lip. "I've never really showed anyone other than my family, they're kinda personal."

"Well you don't have to show him today or tomorrow but…I think eventually would be a good idea."

"I just don't want him to think they're stupid. There's more to me than my…father and sad paintings."

He smiled softly and gave her hand a squeeze. "Trust me; he won't think they're stupid." Finn let go of her hand to put his seat belt on. "Feel like hot chocolate and a movie?"

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. He chuckled.

He'd take that as a yes.

0o0o0o0o0o

Finn hadn't heard from Rachel since he had kissed her goodbye at the dance. Although, it wasn't like he had been expecting her to be texting him nonstop or something. He knew she was probably just busy hanging out with Sam. He glanced over at Emily on the couch, completely engrossed in the movie, her hands wrapped tightly around a mug of hot chocolate.

He looked at his phone again anyways, just making sure he hadn't missed any texts. But there was nothing waiting for him—no texts with smiles or hearts or an insane amount of exclamation points. Nothing.

Finn sighed and set his phone of the coffee table, leaning back into the couch. He sipped his hot chocolate, burning the roof of his mouth. He licked his lips—he found himself really missing her, even though he had just seen her a few hours ago. He wanted to undo the clip that had been holding her hair back and run his fingers through her curls. He wanted to unzip her dress, watch it fall past beautiful, soft, tan skin and kiss every inch of her. He wanted her in his arms, on his lap, his chest against hers, her lips on his—he just _really_ wanted her.

Finn thought about sex often, especially sex with Rachel. He was a guy after all and Rachel was hot. She had a perfect ass and boobs and she wore skirts that didn't leave much to the imagination. Now that the whole Santana situation was gone and over with—and hopefully forgotten, he hoped that him and Rachel would be able to move into a deeper part of their relationship this time around. Sex with Santana had been wrong, uncomfortable, pointless, leaving him with a giant hole in his chest and an uneasy feeling eating at his stomach. Sex with Rachel would be _more_ than that. It'd be about love, not regret. It would be special…because _they_ were something special.

"I made Rachel my girlfriend…again." He blurted out suddenly. Apparently he couldn't take talking to _himself_ about Rachel anymore and needed to irritate someone else about it.

But, at least, Emily didn't seem annoyed at all. "Finn! That's great!" She smiled. "I'm glad you're happy."

Finn smiled. "Thanks, Em. I just hope…it all works out this time around. There's a lot of stuff going on in her life right now and I don't want…our relationship to stress her out even more."

"Stuff? What kinda stuff?"

Finn bit his lip and gently shook his head; he promised Rachel he wouldn't tell anyone…even though he had kinda, like, told the entire glee club. But that was different, that had been for the bake sale and he had made sure to keep it under wraps as much as possible.

Emily nodded, catching on. She waved her hand, dismissing the subject. "I get it, something personal." She nodded. "But if it's something bad? She's going to need you as her boyfriend more than ever. So I don't think you should worry about that."

Finn swallowed. "I'm also…thinking about us after high school. Rachel lives and breathes New York and I'm just…not sure I belong there."

"Well," Emily turned towards him, tucking her legs under herself. "Are you sure you belong with Rachel?"

"Completely." Finn said with no hesitation.

She smiled as she brought the mug up to her lips. "Then you'll find a way to make it work."

Finn smiled softly and looked down at the mug in his hands. Yeah, he had a lot of doubts—about school, Rachel's dad, colleges, work, his future—but one thing he was completely sure of was Rachel.

And as long as they had each other, they could make anything work.

0o0o0o0o

Finn's phone went off ten minutes after he had dropped Emily off at her house. He was halfway home and he couldn't wait to get out of his damn dress shirt and pants. He hadn't wanted to change into something comfortable when Emily had been over because she'd be stuck in her long, prom dress while he wore comfy sweats. He guessed he could have offered her clothes too but everything would have been huge on her—he had already given his smaller sized clothes to Rachel.

Whatever. The point was that he was heading home to relax and finish homework (most likely he'd finish his paused video game where he was a kickass zombie killer).

His truck came to a slow stop at a red light and he reached across the seat to grab his phone. He pushed the enter button, the screen lighting up with a message from Sam.

_Something's wrong with Rachel._

Finn's heart slammed in his chest. He felt like it was moving up his throat and trying to choke him. What the fuck did the text even mean—_who sends a text like this with no friggin explanation_?

Finn jerked his truck to the right lane as the light turned green and turned into a grocery store parking lot. His wheels screeched to a stop as he put the truck into park. He tried to get his hands to stop shaking as he texted back.

_What r u tlking about? Is she OK?_

He was just about to fuck off Sam's answer and just _drive_ to Rachel's house. His knees were locking up and his stomach felt like it was about to fall out of his ass. He just needed to go—he needed to drive. He gripped the steering wheel. He just _needed_ to find Rachel.

If Sam didn't text back in the next few seconds Finn was going to lose it.

His phone finally went off and he scrambled to pick it up and look at the text.

PAGE 1 of 2  
_I dunno. I think her dad called when i was in the bathroom. When i came out she looked upset and i tried to ask her what was wrong. She blew me off, told me to leave…_

Finn waited impatiently for the second part of the text to show up in his inbox.

PAGE 2 of 2  
_I didn't want to but i didn't want to upset her anymore. I didn't know what else to do other than to text you_

Finn was out of the parking lot before he even read the last part of the text. A car horn blared at him as he sped out into the intersection and jerked the truck left, heading to Rachel's. He picked up his cell from his lap and texted a quick reply to Sam. He knew he really shouldn't have been texting while driving—being a smear of road kill on the pavement wasn't going to help Rachel at all. He hurriedly texted a 'thanks' to Sam (probably misspelled to the point where the word didn't even look right) and bite his lip, pushing the number two key and holding it down until it dialed Rachel's number.

He tried to call her a few times but she wasn't picking up. And that was weird for her—she always picked up when he called. Even when she was freaking pissed at him she made the effort to pick up the phone just to tell him to stop calling. He angrily threw his phone onto the cushion of the passenger seat as he sped down Rachel's street, stopping at the last house on the right. He pulled into her driveway and turned the engine off, getting out of the truck.

There were no lights on in any of the windows as he looked over the house—Rachel's room was on the other side of the house so if her light was on he wouldn't be able to tell. He stepped into the grass, walking to the front door. The rain water from the night before made mud stick to the bottom of his shoes and ruined the perfect black shine on top. But he could give two fucks about his shoes. Something was wrong with Rachel and his nerves were driving him crazy because he didn't know what it was.

Was she hurt? Did someone from school prank call her about her dad or…God, he hoped Quinn hadn't done anything. Even though he found it unlikely, Quinn was with Puck again and she seemed happy. It looked like she didn't care about him or Rachel anymore…but he also knew she could be kinda crazy sometimes in the emotions department.

Finn knocked on her front door, licking his lips, pausing to see if he could hear any movement inside.

There was nothing.

Finn's heart started to race as he knocked again. "Rachel?" He called out. "It's Finn! Are you here?"

He sighed, nearly pounding on the door. He resisted the urge but made his knocks a bit louder. Maybe he was overreacting….it wasn't like there was a zombie apocalypse going on or anything (he had been watching too many horror movies lately and his mind was jumping to crazy conclusions). She was probably in the friggin shower—that would explain why she wasn't answering the door or his phone calls.

"Baby?" He tried one more time, closing his eyes. He rubbed his temples, not sure what to do. He couldn't just leave—he needed to be there for her if something was wrong. But he couldn't do anything if she didn't answer the _door_.

Finn thought back to last summer, when he had accidently brought Rachel home past curfew. Her dads had been asleep and Rachel had forgotten her house keys (something she never did but, whatever). Finn bit his lip, trying to remember where the spare house key was hidden. It wasn't in a fake rock…Finn stepped back from the front door and looked around. It wasn't behind the bush and it wasn't above the door jam, Rachel would never be able to freaking reach it, maybe it was lower…

Finn looked down at the stones around the small flower garden under the right window near the front door. He crouched down and lifted each one until finally, under the second to the last one, he found the house key.

"_Yes_." He fist pumped, pulling the key from the mud. He brushed it off and went to the door, slowly unlocking it.

He pushed the door open, looking into the dark house. "Rach?" He called out, not wanting to scare her. "It's Finn, I uh, I got the key from under the flower garden stone."

He sighed softly, searching on the wall to his left for the hallway light. He flipped it on, illuminating the stairs. He closed the front door, setting the key on a small table that had Rachel's purse and shawl on it from prom.

"Rach?" He tried again, peeking into the living room before going up the stairs.

He stopped at the top of the stairs, seeing a stream of light underneath a door—he guessed a bedroom. He swallowed, it wasn't Rachel's room. Was her dad home? He knocked on the door softly. "Rach? Or uh…Mr. Hiram? It's Finn."

Finn gently opened the door and went in halfway, the only source of light was coming from a small lamp on a nightstand but he could still see Rachel on the bed. He guessed this was her father's bedroom—there were pictures of them on the nightstand, a baby picture of her, and a strong scent of cologne filled his nose.

"Rachel?" He said, a bit louder.

She didn't answer him, but he could tell she had heard him because her shoulders started shaking with silent sobs. Finn's heart dropped in his chest and something sick and worrisome curled inside the pit of his stomach. He slowly came towards the bed, climbing on top. He carefully shifted her dress aside so he wouldn't rip it as he laid down next to her, the front of his body molding into her back.

"Hey," He whispered softly, touching her arm. She flinched softly at his touch but then relaxed into it. "What happened?"

All she answered him with was a bunch of loud sobs, shaking him a little. Panic exploded in Finn's chest—he wanted to ask her a bunch of questions at once, her crying really freaked him out. It gave him an overwhelming sense of urgency, like he needed to fix what was wrong at that very moment. He sighed softly and did the only thing he could do—he wrapped a secure arm around her waist and tried to pull her even closer than she already was. She reached down and gently took his hand, pulling it up so it was wrapped around her small ones and tucked under her chin. He shuffled closer and moved his other arm from underneath his body to rest above her head. As he placed kisses in her hair, his one hand squeezed hers as his other pulled her hair back so it wouldn't stick to her wet cheeks.

Finn waited for her crying to slow; his head spun with ideas of what she could have been upset about. He thought he knew…but he was afraid to think it.

Rachel sniffled and let go of his hand. He took that as a hint that he should back up a little and she turned on her side, facing him. Her beautiful face was splotched with makeup—blush darker on her cheeks from crying, black tear tracks down to her chin, falling into the mattress, glitter from her lip-gloss over her jaw and nose. Finn thought for a moment that his heart had actually broken in two—the pain in her eyes was unbearable.

He reached over and cupped her face, sliding his thumb across her cheekbone—her eyes closing at his touch. Finn kissed her forehead, his other hand reaching over to remove the gold, sparkly, clip that was holding her hair up. He gently pulled the clip free and set it on the pillow, running his hand through her strands—the curls twirling between his fingers like silk strings. Strong vanilla poured into his nose as he fanned her hair back onto the pillow, smoothing it out in a comforting way. He tucked her bangs behind her ear.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Finn asked softly, reaching over her to grab a tissue from the box on the nightstand. He wiped the makeup off her face as best he could.

Rachel scooted closer to him when he finished, not wanting any space between them. Her hands touched his chest, softly playing with the buttons on his dress shirt. He wrapped an arm around her, bringing his chin down to rest on her head. He felt her nose and lips run over the sensitive skin on his neck and he couldn't help but shiver, goosebumps appearing on his arms and down his spine. Finn tried to concentrate on rubbing smooth and comforting circles into his girlfriend's back and _not_ what was happening in his pants from her lips over his neck.

"Did something happen with Sam?" He swallowed, nearly wanting it to be that. He could take _care_ of that…but he knew that wasn't what was wrong. She shook her head and gripped his shirt. He closed his eyes and a soft sigh tumbled from his lips. "Your dad." No question needed.

The fresh tears against his neck were enough of an answer and he wrapped his other around her too, not giving a shit if it fell asleep from being under the weight of her body.

It had to have been bad, like, _really_ bad. Bad enough that she pushed Sam away, and wouldn't answer his calls or gather up strength to speak, that all she could do was cry and cling to him like he was the only thing keeping her together.

"Shh…" He tried softly, pushing his lips into her hairline.

"They—" Her voice struggled, sobs threatening to choke her. "They found more tumors."

Finn closed his eyes at the news, squeezing her shaking body so tight. "Aw baby." He murmured softly, his heart constricting in his chest. "I'm _so_ sorry."

He swallowed as she gripped his shirt. "I don't think—I don't think he's going to be okay, F-Finn."

He pushed his lips into her hair as she started sobbing again. He rubbed her back and held her as close as he could. It was the first time since all this happened that Finn didn't think so either.

0o0o0o0o

"Do they know what the next step is?" Finn asked as he ran a hand through Rachel's hair.

She shook her head and swallowed thickly. "Another round of chemo?" She sniffled and ran her knuckles under her nose. "I dunno."

They were sitting up in the middle of her father's bed, Rachel's legs curled underneath her as she leaned back into Finn's chest. His one arm was wrapped around her waist as his other hand kept running through her hair, tucking some behind her ear every so often.

"I just…I can't believe this is happening all over again." Her voice was thick with grief, fear and exhaustion. "I just want him to be okay."

Finn kissed the back of her head and rubbed her arms. "He still could be." He whispered. "We just have to have some faith. He's a fighter; it's where you get it from." He could tell she smiled just a little. "Don't forget that."

Her hand came up to run over the one he had on her arm. "Thank you for coming here to check on me."

"You had me worried." He said honestly. "I'm glad I remembered where you kept the spare key."

She sighed and rubbed her face and eyes. "I know, I'm sorry I didn't answer the door…or my phone. I was…I was just—"

"I understand." He interrupted softly. "You don't have to apologize to me." Rachel shivered softly and nodded, running her thumb over his knuckles. Finn pulled back a little. "You're cold…you should change out of this dress, maybe get a warm bath."

"I'm too exhausted to move." She sniffled as Finn placed a kiss on the back of her shoulder.

"Come on," He gently patted her side towards the bathroom. "I'll help you."

She sighed and nodded, shuffling to her right. She pulled her dress up a little so it wouldn't get caught on her heels as she stood up from the bed. Finn followed her into the bathroom, turning the light on.

Rachel sat on the closed toilet seat as Finn pulled the tub curtain aside, bending over to turn the faucet on. He turned the hot knob and adjusted the cold one, trying to get a perfect warm temperature. Rachel had told him before that water at her house took a while to get hot.

He looked over at Rachel and knelt down in front of her. He took off her gold heels and set them aside, running his hand over one of her ankles.

"Want me to unzip you?" He asked.

She nodded softly and stood up, turning around. Finn stood and kissed the back of her head as he unzipped her dress, watching more of her tan, soft, skin as it appeared when he tugged the zipper down. There was a mole on her lower back where the zipper stopped and Finn had to resist the urge to kneel again just to kiss the spot.

He cleared his throat as he backed up a little. "Uhm, I'll be in your dad's room if you need anything. I uh, I could make you some tea if you want."

Finn turned and started to leave without waiting for a reply; he needed to get out of the bathroom. It was starting to fill up with steam and Rachel was going to be naked and he really, _really_ needed to be downstairs—

But Rachel tugged on one of the sleeves of his shirt, stopping him. He turned around and looked at her, swallowing thickly. She had let her dress fall to the floor and all she was standing there in was white lacy panties and a white, strapless bra to match. Well, if he wasn't hard before, he was now.

"Don't go." She said softly, letting go of his arm. She wrapped her arms around herself like she was embarrassed, which she shouldn't have been because…cheesus Christ, she was _beautiful_.

His brain hadn't really processed her words. "What?" He asked softly, finally moving his eyes to her face instead of all over her perfect body.

"Don't go?" She asked. "Please?"

How could he say no to that? He swallowed and cleared his throat, putting his hands on Rachel's shoulders—she was shaking. "Babe…I don't want to do anything you aren't sure of."

"I _am_ sure, Finn." The stubbornness in her voice made him smile. "I don't want you to leave."

"I won't." He said, trying to assure her. He ran a hand down her arm and moved to close the bathroom door.

When he turned back around, Rachel's hands rested across his chest. She looked up at him as she started to unbutton his dress shirt.

He swallowed again, nervous as all hell for reasons he couldn't name. His hands moved to gently clasp hers. "Rachel…"

"Just…let me do this." She whispered, trying to tug her hands free.

She was upset and worried and nervous and sad and everything she _shouldn't_ have been to do this with him—but he couldn't stop her. He let go of her hands and let her unbutton his shirt, tugging it off his shoulders. It fell to the floor beside her prom dress.

Rachel ran her hands over his t-shirted chest. "I like when you wear white." She said softly, placing a soft kiss over his heart.

He ran his nose through her hair as she kissed his chest. "I'll have to wear it more often then."

Her small hands tugged the bottom of his shirt and lifted, rising up on her toes to tug his shirt off. He helped her and pulled the shirt from her fingers, dropping it on the sink. He felt nervousness pull at his stomach again—like when she had seen him without a shirt on at the beach. All that kept running through his head was that he wasn't as good looking as Puck or Sam and—all those thoughts flew from his mind as Rachel started kissing his skin. It was so tender and so loving that he knew all she was thinking about was _him_ and not comparing him to how other guys looked.

Finn watched as her fingers undid his belt, butterflies erupting in his stomach. His hard on insistently pushed against his zipper and he took her fingers into his hand, squeezing softly.

"Are you _sure_?" Finn asked again, waiting until she looked up at him. "You're shaking."

"I'm cold." She chuckled softly, but it didn't sound sure or happy. She sounded scared and sad.

He squeezed her hands and then let them go, wrapping his arms around her small frame. He pulled her against his warm body and rubbed her back until she stopped shivering.

"I want to be close to you, Finn." Rachel said softly against his skin. "I'm _ready_ to be closer to you."

That was all Finn needed to hear. He reached up her back and unclipped her bra, waiting for her to somehow change her mind and push him away. But she didn't. She moved back and let her bra fall to the ground.

Her breasts were perfect.

He knew boobs were, like, always over emphasized in movies and were supposed to be big and impressive to be perfect but…Finn thought that was a load of bullshit. Because Rachel's were kinda small and weren't as full as some guys might have liked but Finn thought they were awesome.

"Wow." He muttered softly, not being able to keep it from escaping his mouth.

The smile that covered her face was genuine and he was glad that he could make her smile even though sadness wanted to take her over.

He breathed in and pulled at his belt, unzipping his pants to pull them down. He tugged them off and set them aside, turning to look at her in his boxers as he toed his shoes off.

She smiled. "I bought you those for your birthday." She giggled.

He blushed. "I _know_. I like them, okay?"

"I never thought you'd wear them!"

"How can I _not_ wear boxers with dancing bananas on them?" He laughed.

Rachel walked up to him and leaned up to kiss him softly, her lips sliding over his effortlessly. He felt her thumbs hook under the waistband of his boxers and tug down—until he was naked.

He was completely naked in front of Rachel Berry.

He was really glad they were both kissing and she had her eyes closed because he was pretty sure there was dark, red, blush all over his body. His thumbs ran over her hip bones, over the lacy fabric that decorated her pretty skin. He pushed his thumbs under and pulled them down until they fell naturally.

Finn slowly opened his eyes as Rachel stopped kissing him—she pulled back, her lips grazing over his.

"You're beautiful." He admitted softly, looking down at her body.

Now it was her turn to blush. "You're pretty beautiful yourself."

Rachel looked down at him—at his junk and…if it would have been anyone other than her calling it beautiful, he was pretty sure he'd punch someone.

Finn took her hands and helped her into the tub, stepping inside after her. He could feel how awkward she felt, standing in the tub there with him. He squeezed her hands, swallowing.

"Do you…want to sit?"

She smiled softly. "Sure."

"Uh…" Finn reached behind her and plugged the drain, letting the tub fill.

She laughed softly, obviously reading his mind. "I'll have to sit in between your legs for both of us to fit."

Why the hell was his pulse racing all of a sudden? "R-right." He smiled. "Yeah, of course."

"_Now_ who's not sure…?" Rachel smiled up at him.

He playfully glared at her, ruffling her hair. He slowly sat down in the filling tub, looking up at her. She turned and he licked his lips, his eyes traveling over her ass as she sat down between his legs. He breathed out as the swell of her ass slid over his balls, making his cock jerk in interest. He cleared his throat, trying to slide up and away from her as she sat down.

She turned to look at him and ran her tongue over her lower lip. "Sorry…"

He smiled softly, his cheeks tinting pink. "Do not apologize for having that effect over me." He took her hand and laced her fingers with his. "Okay?"

Her other hand rested on his thigh, her fingers running over the soft part of his inner thigh. "Okay…" She agreed softly, glancing up at him.

Was she trying to get a rise out of him? There was no lust in her eyes—just sheer curiosity.

"Can I…?" She bit her lower lip. "I want to make you feel good."

He raised his eyebrows and sat up a little more, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "This shouldn't be about me."

Rachel looked down—he hoped she was staring at his legs and not his junk (even though it totally gave him a little thrill shooting through his stomach to think she _was_). She started touching him anyways, making him jump.

"Rachel!"

She jerked back. "I'm…I'm sorry, I was just trying to—" She scuffled away from him, blushing darkly.

"Hey, no, no—" He reached up and wrapped his arms around her. "No, Rachel. It wasn't bad." He smiled softly. "It was good." Cheesus, it was _so_ good and he almost hadn't had the strength to stop her. "_Really_ good," He breathed out. "But tonight is not about me. It's about you…and you deserve to feel better." He kissed her shoulder as she slowly sat back down in between his legs.

"I'm nervous." She admitted softly.

Finn smiled softly and bit his lip. "Don't be. I got you."

He reached over and turned the tap off, wrapping his fingers around her hips. He gently lifted her up so she was sitting on the edge of the tub, leaning against the tiled wall. He watched as water droplets slid down her skin and stroked the soft skin behind her knees.

"Open your legs." He said softly, looking up at her.

Rachel slowly spread her legs and Finn's stomach flipped. It took everything in him not to take her right there and then, his cock pressing against his stomach. He took a deep breath and tried to relax, this was _not_ about him. Mailman delivering freaking _mail_ in the middle of a snowstorm.

He moved his hands to rest on the inside of her thighs, gently pushing them apart just a little bit more.

"If I do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable or…if I do something you don't like, you tell me to stop okay?"

She nodded her head and smiled gently at him. "Okay."

Finn smiled at her and leaned up to kiss her softly as his fingers tenderly spread her lips. He felt her thighs clench just a little but then relax into him as his index finger slowly started to circle her clit.

Rachel ran her hands over his back and moaned into his mouth as he quickened his circles and started to rub her entrance with his thumb. He nearly came at how wet she was getting. Finn pulled back from her lips and went to kiss her neck, running his tongue over her quickening pulse point.

He kissed down her chest as he slid a finger inside her, curling it upwards as he pulled it out. The moan that escaped her mouth made him grip the side of the tub and groan. He dipped his nose against her breast and kissed her nipple, his finger circling around her clit again.

Finn looked up at her again as he pushed his finger back into her, creating a rhythm as his thumb found her clit. Her eyes closed as her hips jerked against his motions, trying to gain more movement to meet her needs.

"Put…another—"

Finn licked his lips, not needing any more instruction. He added a second finger, pumping in and out of her faster and faster, kissing down her chest and over her toned stomach, lower and lower until he was placing kisses right along her lips—wet and hot with arousal.

Suddenly, her back arched and she came hard, moaning his name, walls clenching his fingers tightly.

Finn panted softly and gently placed kisses along her inner thighs as he pulled his fingers free and looked up at her. Her eyes were closed, her chest heaving, pink all over her chest, shoulders and cheeks.

"Rach?" He asked softly, moving to kneel. He kissed her cheek. "You okay?"

She opened her eyes and looked down at him, sliding back into the tub. She moved her arms around him, hugging him tightly around his waist as she rested her head against his chest. He sat down in the tub again, pulling her into his lap.

"I'm _perfect_." She said, dreamily, waves of pleasure still hitting her like aftershocks. He smirked softly, placing a kiss in her hair. "Are you sure you don't want me to—"

She looked down at his hardness against his stomach and he shook his head, touching his lips to her nose. "No, it'll go down."

She bit her lip. "Are you afraid that I'll be bad at it?"

He laughed and shook his head because no—that thought had never crossed his mind. "No. Not at all…I'm sure whatever you'd do would be perfect, okay? Believe me."

She smiled and rested against his chest, breathing deeply as her heart rate slowed against him. He rubbed her back as he reached over to turn the tap on again. He took a washcloth out of the small cabinet next to the tub and picked up body wash that was supposed to smell like the ocean. He poured a good amount of the blue substance into the washcloth and ran it under the faucet.

"How long can you stay?" Rachel asked softly, her lips moving against his pec. He watched as small bubbles from the body wash started filling the tub, circling around her lower back.

"Until you kick me out." He smiled as he felt her squeeze him around his waist. He started washing her back and shoulders with the washcloth as he placed kisses along her head.

He briefly wondered how pissed his mom would be if he stayed the night.

Rachel looked up at him and placed a kiss on his lower lip.

Because he figured he'd be doing just that.

0o0o0o

Sidfjlskdjfl alright, so how bad was it? XD thanks for all the reviews people!


	25. Chapter 25

Thanks everyone for the supporting reviews from last chapter :) I'm not very good at smut…sue me, I prefer snuggling and stuff in fics XD But I'm glad everyone liked it :D Here's chapter 25, thanks to everyone who sticks to my crazy, lack of time schedule. I really appreciate it.

**NOTE**: The song I used in this chapter was _Turning Page _by Sleeping at Last…I _highly_ suggest you listen to it during that part of the chapter. It's a beautiful song and perfect for finchel in my eyes :)

Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 25

Finn did not want to get out of the tub. The water was growing cold and Rachel was kinda shivering and his skin was getting all wrinkly like an old person's but…he didn't want to move.

Rachel was wound up in his arms, getting closer and closer to him as the water grew chilly, seeking the heat of his body. He couldn't stop thinking about what this tub represented—his and Rachel's first giant step into a serious relationship. Yeah, there had been some boob action before (over the bra and kinda under sometimes), Rachel grinding her thighs into the hard on he always got when she was on top of him…and one time he nearly let her unbutton his pants—but _this_, not even a half of an hour ago, had been the first second base rounding into third experience he had ever had with Rachel.

And it had been fucking _awesome_.

Rachel was perfect, in every way possible, and he'd defend that fact till he died. Her skin was soft and warm and tasted like strawberries in cream in all the right places, he loved the way her muscles had clenched around his fingers, the little moans of pleasure that sounded from deep in her throat when touched her clit, the way her breasts perked up (nipples brown and taught against his tongue) as he licked them. He had never really done anything with his mouth on a girl before (and Rachel had never experienced anything like that before, either) so he guessed he had done _something_ right when she came hard, panting his name like he had just invented sunshine and rainbows or something.

He wasn't sure if Rachel was still asleep or not, she had fallen asleep a few minutes after he had started washing her. Her orgasm had made her jello in his arms, molding against him like she never wanted to separate again.

Which was fine with him.

When he had been washing her body, he kind wondered what it would be like to have her mouth on _him_. Would it feel just as good as he had imagined? He licked his lips. Probably better—even though she'd be all cute and nervous that she'd do it wrong. He tried not to think about it past that…he wasn't going to get all hard again because it was hard enough (pun intended) denying her the first time around when she had tried to take care of him. He didn't know if he could really push her away again. He wanted her to make him feel the exact same way he had made her feel—jello-y, content…sort of sleepy. But above all, _perfect_. But it couldn't be about him. And it wasn't like didn't already feel kinda perfect just by having her in his arms again, having her to himself as his _girlfriend _but he honestly couldn't wait to be with her on that deeper level—pleasure coursing through his veins and Rachel's name on his lips.

"Finn?"

Finn looked down at Rachel and smiled softly, placing a kiss on her nose—which felt like an ice cube. Whoops.

"Let me guess, you're cold?"

She smiled sheepishly and nodded. "A bit. Sorry I fell asleep on you for a while there."

He smirked softly and shook his head, gently moving her so he could stand. His joints felt stiff as he stood up, he guessed from sitting in one position for so long. He took Rachel's hand and helped her stand, turning to unplug the drain.

"It's okay. I'm glad you got some rest."

He felt her wrap herself around his waist, her nose running up his spine. "I think it's because someone made me feel so good…to the point of sleepiness!" He chuckled as she placed a kiss on his back.

Finn helped her out of the tub and grabbed a large, white fluffy towel that was hanging on a rack near the tub and wrapped it around her tiny body. "Oh, so…you liked it?"

Her mouth fell open. "Of course I liked it." She smiled. "I always knew it'd be perfect when someone I loved…you know, did it." She nodded and looked at the floor like she was nervous and started playing with the end of the towel.

He smiled tenderly and ran a hand through her wet hair. "Are you trying to tell me you love me, Rachel Berry?" He teased.

Finn grabbed the other towel and dried himself off before wrapping it around his waist. Rachel giggled, a pretty pink blush gliding over her cheeks. "You already know I love you. I shouldn't have to tell you."

"I like hearing it."

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to say it so much that it'll eventually become annoying."

Finn smiled slowly. "I doubt that'll ever happen."

The grin that covered her face made Finn think that her face was going to split in two. He snorted. "Get dressed. I'll go make you some tea."

"I think I have some of your clothes around my room if you want to put something on other than your dress clothes…unless you're not…staying." It sounded like it was difficult for her to say that—she obviously didn't want him to go home.

He smiled softly. "I'm staying, Rach."

She tried not to look so excited. "Won't your mom be mad?"

He shrugged and opened the bathroom door to look at the time. He was already past curfew and he knew she had fallen asleep hours ago anyways—she had early shifts to head to so she headed to bed at eight most nights.

"I'll just send her a text so that she doesn't think I was, like, kidnapped by aliens or something when she doesn't find me at home tomorrow morning."

"She'll be furious, Finn!"

He kissed her softly. "I don't care."

"You'll be _grounded_!"

He tickled her. "It'll be _worth_ it." He laughed as she giggled, trying to push his hands away, kissing him every once in a while. "So stop worrying, I know you want me to stay."

She couldn't argue with that one.

Finn tapped her nose with his finger and stepped out into her dad's room, shivering as the cold air hit his semi-wet body. Rachel scurried past him and out the door, he guessed heading to her room to get them both clothes before they froze. He picked up the clothes that littered the bath room floor and set them on the bed as he passed it, grabbing his boxers before he went to Rachel's room. When he got there she was changing into blue underwear with clouds on them and a bright green bra.

"That doesn't match at all."

Rachel jumped and banged her elbow off one of the banisters on her bed. "_Ow_!" Finn winced and rushed towards her as she cushioned her elbow to her chest—like she'd broken it or something. "Finn!"

He leaned and kissed down her arm, placing soft, warm kisses on her elbow when he reached it. "Sorry." He took her hand in his as he straightened up. "As I was saying…" He hooked his finger into her panties, tugging the elastic a bit. "These don't match."

He smiled slowly as a low groan seemed to seep out of her throat. She made a face, like she totally _wasn't_ trying to enjoy his teasing, and smacked his hand.

"I don't care!" He snorted as she slipped on a long red nightgown with Mickey Mouse on it. She handed him a few clothes. "Go change."

"I can't change right here?"

She blushed. "Oh, uhm," She bit her lip. "Course you can."

Finn smiled softly. "You gonna watch me?"

She stuttered at that and he couldn't help but think that it was the cutest goddamn thing ever. "N-no! No, of course not. I'll give you some privacy." She walked into her bathroom and closed the door.

Finn licked his lips before pulling the clothes on, running his hand through his damp hair. He covered his mouth as a yawn escaped his lips, heading over to the bathroom door. He knocked softly. "Hey, why don't you pick a movie? I'll go make your tea."

"_Singing in the Rain_!"

He rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. "Fine. Put it in, I'll be right back up."

Finn ran downstairs and put the water on. He had already felt like he'd been away from her for too long.

0o0o0o0o

Finn set the cup down on Rachel's nightstand and looked at his girlfriend. She was sitting cross legged on her bed, a blanket over her lap, sheet music resting on top of her knees.

"What are you looking at?"

She blushed and looked up, turning the pages over as he sat down next to her. "It's a song I found the other day…I really like it. It…it reminds me of us." She finished softly, her face moving closer to his. Her nose dipped into his cheek as his arm wrapped around her.

"Yeah? Do I know it?"

Rachel bit her lip. "I don't know."

She turned the paper over and set it on his legs. Finn shifted and leaned back against the headboard of her bed, Rachel following him to snuggle into his side. His hand absentmindedly rubbed and squeezed her shoulder as he looked over the lyrics of 'Turning Page' by Sleeping At Last. He had no idea who the band was…and he was pretty sure he had never heard of the song either. It seemed like a total chick song, by the lyrics, like it belonged in one of those overdone, ridiculous romantic comedies that made girls cry but…not like that was a bad thing, or anything.

Rachel ran her fingers over the edge of the page and very softly hummed the tune, her thumb grazing over his fingers.

"_Your love is my turning page…where only the sweetest words remain_." She sung softly, her voice melting into him like sweet, velvet, honey. Her eyes swept over his face, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "_Every kiss is a cursive line_," He smiled softly as her fingers wrapped around his forearm. "_Every touch is a redefining phrase_."

Finn kissed her softly, cupping her face. He could hear the echo of her voice in his head, playing over and over like an adoring melody that he never wanted to forget. He pulled back and kissed the bridge of her nose, looking down at the sheet.

He heard her sing a few lines…he could at least try some himself. He could probably nail the tune…and if he didn't, he honestly didn't care. It wasn't like he was in glee club in front of everyone—it was just Rachel. And Rachel loved him no matter what he sounded like.

"_If I had only felt the warmth within your touch_," He cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her skin, making her blush. The warmth circled around the pad of his thumb, seeming to heat is whole body with one single touch. "_If I had only seen how you smile when you blush_," He smirked softly as she smiled into his hand, running her nose over his finger. "_Or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough…"_ He sang softly, his voice not nearly as perfect as hers.

Finn could almost picture her when she was concentrated—determined—lip curled between her teeth, eyebrows drawn together, tongue sticking out past pink lips every so often; he wondered if she knew how beautiful she looked even then, when she wasn't trying hard at all.

He glanced at the paper one final time. "_I would have known what I was living for all along. What I've been living for_—" He was cut off as Rachel kissed him, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck, her whole body moving forward onto his.

Finn smiled against her lips and pulled her body up onto his, until she stretched out on him, chest against his, adorable belly pushing into his as she giggled against his lips—he could feel her heartbeat on chest. He kind of wondered if two people's hearts could beat at the exact same time.

He cupped her face and pushed hair behind her ears, pecking her lips softly, placing a kiss on her nose before pulling back.

"We should sing that in glee."

Rachel shook her head and he felt her hands run over her chest; she bit her lower lip. "No," She said softly. "I just want that to be our song…just ours." Finn smiled softly. "Besides, I don't want to hear Quinn or Santana ruin it by trying to make fun of me."

Finn kissed her forehead. "I wouldn't let that happen."

She smiled up at him and kissed his upper lip. "I know, but still." She bit her lip and ran her fingers over his chin.

Finn rubbed her back softly as her nose ran over his lower lip. "You going to see your dads tomorrow?" He asked.

She nodded, playing with a spot on his shirt. "I was thinking of trying to spend the night, give my dad a break so he can come home and get some actual sleep."

"Does he sleep at the hospital a lot?"

She bit her lip and nodded sadly. "Almost every single night." She swallowed. "But I can understand that…I would…I would stay with you every night if you were in the hospital."

Finn squeezed her a bit tighter to him upon hearing that; touched. "Well let's hope you never have to do something like that for me, okay?" He kissed her temple. "Want some company tomorrow?"

"Oh, Finn…I can't let you do that."

He frowned as she sat up, curling her hair around her ear in a nervous habit. "Why not?"

"Well, for one, I'm sure your mom is going to ground you until next year when she finds out you spent the night and two, you'd be so uncomfortable at the hospital. The chairs are too small for your tall frame. If you slept in one of those things, you'd wake up with the worst backache."

But Finn didn't really _care _if he got a backache. He knew she was just trying to tell him all this because she was worried about him and stuff but didn't she understand that he cared more about _her_ than he cared about himself?

"Come on, Rach." He whined, trying to charm her into agreeing with him. "Let me be the boyfriend, okay?"

She chuckled softly and shook her head. He nearly pouted—whining, even with a hint of teasing, worked for her all the time! Why couldn't he sway her the same way? Not fair. "No, Finn." She ruffled his hair. "Now come on, let's watch the movie before you get too sleepy. I wanted you to sing 'Good Morning' with me when the scene comes on!"

He groaned as he hopped off the bed. He hated that song…there was only so many times he could say 'good morning' before pulling his hair out. But Rachel liked it…and she got this adorable looking grin on her face (like he had just rescued a basket of kittens or something) every time he sang it with her—so he'd do it, just like all the other times.

Finn watched as Rachel grabbed the remote after turning her TV towards the bed and popping in the overly played DVD. She climbed back into bed after turning the nightstand lamp off, the only light in the room coming from the glow if the television screen.

He sat up a little and adjusted the pillows against the headboard to lean against them as Rachel snuggled into his side. He smiled softly and pulled the blankets back as she rested her upper body on his chest. Her one arm looped around his waist as she rested her head over his heart, directing her eyes towards the TV.

Finn pulled the blankets up over her shoulder, rubbing her arm absentmindedly as the movie started to play with dramatic, swelling music. He wanted to actually try and focus on the movie (because, this had to have been his, like, sixth or something time seeing it and he still had no idea why someone would actually sing in the _rain_, anyways) but he couldn't stop thinking about Rachel, and how nice her body felt against his and how they were alone…in her bed…in her house. Alright, he really needed to be thinking about something else…

Finn thought for a moment, about anything that _wasn't_ Rachel's boobs against his chest, and stumbled upon their conversation right before she had put the movie in. She didn't want him to come and spend the night with her at the hospital. And, yeah okay, his mom _was_ probably going to ground him until next year but…even then, he still wanted Rachel to ask him to spend the night with her. He didn't want her to be at the hospital all by herself, or worse, ask freaking Sam to spend time with her when Finn was more than willing too.

He hated it. He didn't want her to spend all that time in that sad, sick place, without someone to hold her hand and hold _her_ as she fell asleep.

"Something's on your mind." He heard Rachel say, drawing him from his thoughts.

She was looking up at him, eyes soft and tender—ready to listen to whatever he was thinking about.

"What makes you say that?"

She smiled fondly. "Your eyes are distant…and your nose gets all crinkly." She laughed softly. "It's rather adorable."

Great, now he was blushing. "I was just thinking about tomorrow and what you said…"

"You think I don't want you to come." She interrupted softly.

Finn trailed his teeth over his lower lip as he watched her prop herself up on her elbows on his chest. The action hurt his chest for a moment before she shifted positions.

"No, it's just…I want to make sure you're not embarrassed of me or something." He said it like a joke, his lips quirking in such a way that if she hadn't been staring at him so intensely, she would have thought it was one too.

Her mouth formed a perfect 'o' and he could see a sense of panic behind her coffee colored brown eyes. "No! Oh, Finn. No. That's not it at all, believe me. I know you think my daddy doesn't like you but—"

"He doesn't. Come on, Rach." He shifted, uncomfortably. "Let's stop pretending that he does."

He hadn't meant to make her frown. "He's not—" He swallowed. "I don't want to fight with you on this." She finally said. "I don't think he's pretending. He's just protective. My daddy likes you because I love you." Rachel said firmly, determination lighting up in her eyes as a shade of blue from the TV screen passed over her face.

Finn didn't want to argue with her either, so he just let it go. He nodded softly and turned his attention to the TV, trying to ignore the feel of her eyes drifting over his face. He swallowed thickly as Rachel settled into his side again, but this time her head was right against his neck. He closed his eyes as he felt her press a kiss onto his jaw line. He didn't want to be mad at her, he really didn't but…the fact that she was just ignoring all the dang facts that her dad threw at him every time he was around was just _annoying_. It was apparent that Mr. Leroy did not approve of Finn dating his daughter, for whatever reason.

Finn _knew_ that there was probablysomeone out there that could have been better for Rachel, someone who would take her farther than a Lima loser with no serious dreams or aspirations. And he swore he could see that in Mr. Leroy's eyes every time—that not-so-secret glint that told him "you're not good enough for my daughter".

Finn didn't need to be told that. He knew he wasn't good enough. But, for some reason, Rachel thought he _was_—and in the end that was worth more than anyone else's opinion.

"Are you mad at me?" Rachel asked; worry laced in her soft voice.

Finn sighed softly and shook his head. He had no right to be mad at her—he was being ridiculous (yeah, he was aware of that) and did he really want to be mad (and start a fight with his girlfriend over nothing) at the dad that was in a hospital bed fighting _cancer_?

"No." He turned his head and placed a kiss on her hairline. "I'm sorry…I must be tired."

She bit her lip and swallowed, nodding softly, her nose sliding across his neck as she did so. He ignored a shiver that traveled up his spine.

He brought his hand up and ran it over her hair, resting it after a moment on the crown of her head.

"I suppose you're…sort of right." She admitted and Finn swallowed, swearing at himself for ever bringing the topic up. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. "I never really considered how harsh he's been to you sometimes." Her thumb ran over the muscle in his arm. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." He licked his lips and watched her thumb travel over his skin—a wave of goosebumps covering his arms. "I'm sorry for being a douchenozzle." She giggled and gently smacked his chest—he smiled. "I told you, I'm just tired."

"Don't fall asleep before the 'Good Morning' scene comes on!"

He tried really hard not to—but the sounds of the TV and Rachel's warm body against his put him out like a sleeping pill.

O0o0o0o0

_Finn moaned, the soft sound ghosting over Rachel's lips as she slid her body on top of his, kissing him softly._

"_Rach—" The word came out as a groan instead of what meant; a soft, whisper of a comfort that she didn't have to do this._

"_Shhh." She whispered, gently grinding down on his lap._

_Holy _shit_, if she kept doing that—_

"_We can't." He managed to get out; his last final effort to push her away._

"_We _can_." She murmured, determined, a lust filled glint in her eyes._

_He bit on his lower lip as Rachel slid down under the covers, her fingernails dragging across his bare thighs._

_Her fingertips pulled at his boxers—he could feel her warm breath as it fluttered across his balls. Finn's eyes rolled back into his head as he felt her lips gently graze over his—_

Finn jerked up in bed as the chorus for 'Singing in the Rain' blasted through the speakers. He panted softly, doing his best to ignore his insistent hard on as he glanced around the room…trying to remember where the hell he was.

He looked down to his right, seeing Rachel. _Right_. He swallowed as the memories of earlier tonight washed over him—desire tugging in his stomach as he remembered the time with her in the tub.

"Sorry." He muttered, clearing sleep from his throat. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights and he figured he must have scared her when he had jerked awake like that.

Finn shifted an inch, moving to turn and pull her close, and instantly froze. Why he hadn't noticed a hand in his boxers (one that was _definitely_ not his) as soon as he had woken up completely escaped him. _You'd think I'd notice if someone had their hands in my pants—_

Then he realized who that hand actually belonged to.

He glanced down at Rachel—not even sure what expression was on his face. Surprise? Amusement? Confusion? Lust? It could have been a combination of all four but Finn couldn't even think about it before Rachel jerked her hand back so fast that she nearly tumbled off the bed.

"Whoa." Finn reacted instantly, looping an arm around her waist so that she didn't fall off the bed or crack her head off the nightstand. "Rachel, hey, hey."

She kept squirming in his grip, trying to pull away from him but he kept his arm wound tightly around her. She finally settled when he realized he wasn't letting her go and buried her crimson colored face in his chest.

He relaxed his arm just a little so he could stroke her hair.

"I'm mortified." She muttered, her lips grazing against his t-shirted chest.

He did his best not to let the laugh bubbling in his chest escape. "Its okay, Rach. Really." He tried to pull her back from his chest so he could look at her face but she wrapped an arm around his back so he couldn't.

He sighed softly, placing a kiss on her head.

"I was…" He strained his ears to hear her muffled voice over the TV. "Just…curious."

Finn bit his lower lip; but seriously, while he was _sleeping_? No wonder his dreams had been all about naughty Rachel—his lower half had been awake the whole time.

"I'm sorry." Her voice hitched and Finn managed to pull her back at that.

"Hey…" He tilted his head to look at her, trying to get her eyes to catch his. He brushed her bangs off her face. "Does it look like I'm upset?" He asked honestly as her eyes slowly connected with his. "I'm not."

She licked her lips. "You…said my name in your sleep."

Finn chuckled softly. "Yeah, your hand motions gave me a good dream."

Rachel inched closer to him again, her hand resting on his stomach. Butterflies erupted under her hand and a warm pulsing sensation moved from his stomach down to his cock, making it jerk against his boxers.

The tip of her nose ran over his upper lip. "I…I want to touch you again."

Finn swallowed and took her hand off his stomach, kissing her fingertips. He then pulled it back and settled it on his lower stomach, encouraging her to go lower.

"Go head." He said softly, catching her lips with his.

He closed his eyes as a shudder ran down his spine when Rachel moved her hand past the elastic band of his boxers.

She gently grasped him, stroking softly. It was as soft as a feather sliding across his skin and he bit down on the urge to rock his hips and tell her to go faster.

"I'm…I'm not doing this right…" She hesitated and Finn shook his head, taking her other hand in his.

"You're doing fine." He smiled softly, kissing her lower lip. He gently rocked his hips, moaning softly. "Trust me."

He almost told her that she could basically do nothing wrong—he was generally easy to please, thanks to his mailman problem.

She bit her lip and continued stroking him, pausing every so often to gently squeeze his balls—she slowly fell into a rhythm of _squeeze, rub, press_.

Finn moaned her name as she picked up the speed, flicking her thumb over the head of his cock. _Rub, press._ He felt her shift into him, grinding just a little against his thigh. Rachel kissed his neck, moaning his name into his skin as she hardened her strokes—one final swipe of her thumb pushing him over the edge. _Squeeze, rub, press._

He came hard, groaning loudly, spurting mostly into her hand. Past the panting, Rachel's name on his lips, euphoria bleeding into his veins—circulating throughout his body—there was a faraway thought that her hand catching most of it was a good thing, seeing as how she could wash her hand and he had no extra pairs of boxers.

Finn licked his lips as Rachel kissed down his jaw, her lips meeting his with so much tenderness. Rachel carefully pulled her hand from his pants, getting up to wash her hands. His breathing slowly went back to normal as he watched her at the sink, smiling softly at him through the reflection of the mirror.

She turned off the light, hurrying back into bed. He pulled the covers up and over her shoulder as she snuggled into his chest.

"So…was I…"

"You were perfect." He interrupted her, smiling softly.

She bit her lip when a smile grew wide on her face as she looked up at him. "Really?"

He chuckled. "Yes, really." He squeezed her side before running his thumb over her curves.

Rachel's fingers gently played with his shirt. "You used your mouth on me. Had you…I mean, you seemed like you knew what you were doing."

He kind of hadn't—all he did was just focus on her moans. He could tell what felt best because when his tongue ran over a certain part she would tug his hair and a moan of pleasure would tumble from her mouth. So basically, it was all instinct. It had nothing to do with anything else.

But he knew that wasn't where she had been trying to go with that statement.

"That was my first time."

"You didn't with…"

"No." Santana hadn't wanted foreplay and it wasn't like he had been interested giving it to her anyways.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry."

He shook his head. "You're not." He whispered into her hair. "You can always ask me anything."

Rachel's nose ran over the underside of his chin. "Do you ever regret…having sex with her?"

Finn closed his eyes, peppering kisses in her hair. "Yeah." He finally said—he wasn't sure how much time had passed since she asked. "My first time should have been with you."

She looked up at him, the skin crinkling between her eyebrows as her face was overcome with sympathy. She shouldn't have been feeling bad for him—_he_ was the one that had made the mistake.

He swallowed, shifting in bed, pulling her even closer. "You don't have to say anything." He said as he noticed her eyes searching for the right words.

Rachel moved back a little so she could cup his cheek with her hand; she ran her thumb over his cheekbone. He closed his eyes at her touch, turning his face a little to run his lips over the inside of her palm.

She leaned up and softly kissed his lips, her nose gently bumping against his.

Yeah, he may have regretted sex with Santana…but he couldn't help but think that everything that had happened had led him to this point—him in bed with Rachel, perfectly happy and in love.

And, honestly, how could he regret an outcome like that?

Oo0o00o00o

This chapter was actually split into two separate ones :3 skdjksdjfsd thanks for reading! Hope you all liked :) Next chapter will be posted in the not too distant future XD


	26. Chapter 26

Hi everyone! I hope all of you had a lovely holiday! I just learned that I go back to school on the 9th ): ugh, it's too close. Lksjfsdlkfj I thought I had till the end of the month ): So sad.

Anyways, happy new year!

Hope you all enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o

Chapter 26

Rachel had woken up twice since they had decided to go to sleep.

With the movie off, the lamp out, Rachel curled up against his chest, Finn concentrated on Rachel's breathing. He contemplated a few things—he could hear cars driving on the street outside (part of him wondered what people were doing up at this hour and another was if Rachel's dad had driven home from the hospital), he wondered if he had locked the front door, and he tried to figure out if his Math homework was due Monday or Wednesday.

He had managed to drift off when Rachel woke up, squirming in his grip.

She had totally forgotten he was sleeping in bed with her.

Rachel had bolted from his arms, turning the nightstand lamp on, picking up whatever her hands found first—which just happened to be a music book.

"_I know tai-chi!" _

_Finn put his hands up in surrender, half-asleep and totally confused. "Rachel, it's me!"_

_She was obviously half asleep too, he could tell because her eyes were all squinty and she had an adorable sleepy expression on her face._

_She lowered the book in her hands. "Finn?"_

_He yawned and rubbed a hand over his face, looking at the time. "Yeah, babe. It's me. Come on, get back to bed." He patted the space next to him._

_She frowned softly and set the book on the nightstand before crawling back into bed, shutting the lamp off. A small yawn escaped her lips as Finn pulled her close, snuggling into her back._

"_I didn't know you knew tai-chi…"_

_Rachel giggled softly. "I don't…I'm pretty sure I just said that because I was having dreams about ninjas at a tea party."_

_Finn laughed, placing kisses on the back of her neck. He fell back asleep to her laughing._

The second time Rachel had woken up she had had a nightmare. Finn had shifted in bed, moving to wrap an arm around Rachel's waist…and then realized she wasn't lying next to him.

"_Rach?" Finn asked; voice thick with sleep._

_He glanced up at her bathroom; there was light streaming out from under the door and Finn slowly pulled himself from bed to check on her. He gently knocked on the door, not wanting to scare her._

"_Hey, you okay?" He asked, clearing his throat._

_When she didn't answer, Finn bit his lip, reaching down to jostle the handle a little. He turned the knob, poking his head inside the bathroom. Rachel was seated on the closed toilet seat, cell phone in her hand. She looked up at him, tears rimming her eyes. _

"_F-Finn." She said softly, swiping a hand under her eyes. "I'm sorry I woke you." _

_He frowned and went into the bathroom, kneeling down in front of her. "What's the matter?"_

_She tried to smile but it just looked sad and strained. "I had a nightmare."_

_He licked his lips, reaching his hand up to take hers. He settled their intertwined hands on her lap. "What about?"_

"_I dreamt that my dad called…about my dad and…" She shook her head, looking down at their hands. Finn ran his thumb over hers. _

"_Bad news?"_

_She nodded. "The worst." A tear fell down her cheek. "I had a nightmare that he died, Finn." _

_Her words became choked as a sob escaped her lips and Finn leaned up, gathering her into his arms. "Shh, it was just a dream, baby." He murmured into her hair, rubbing her back. "It wasn't real…your dad is fine." Well, as fine as he could be. "Just a dream…shh." _

_She sniffled as she ran her cheek along his shoulder, breathing in his scent. He pulled back just enough to kiss her cheek before he stood and picked her up in one fluid motion. He carried her back to bed, laying her down on the sheets before lying down next to her. He ran a comforting hand through her hair before pulling her close, rubbing circles along her upper back._

"_Think you'll be able to get back to sleep?"_

_Rachel managed a small nod before looking up at him. He barely saw her face in the dark room—streetlamps and the mood faintly lit her face. "I'm glad you're here."_

_He smiled softly and kissed her forehead. "Me too." _

_He waited until her breathing slowed and evened out against his chest before closing his eyes._

Finn was awake for a third time—he felt kind of creepy just lying in bed, watching Rachel sleep, but he didn't want to move or look away. She looked so peaceful, care free—no worries or tears over what could happen to her father. He liked it better that way.

He couldn't remember the last time he had saw her face without worry lines and concern in her eyes. Life was too short for so much sorrow—if he had learned anything from what Rachel was going through with her dad, it was that. But it wasn't like he could tell her that. Rachel was dealing with everything as best as she could…and yeah, she had stronger moments than others.

Finn was so proud of her—and he had at urge to tell her so every time he looked her in the eyes. She could lose her dad, but past the sadness in her eyes he saw determination, hope—

He was proud of her for being so strong when she could have just fallen apart. It was _easier_ to fall apart.

Rachel turned in her sleep, snuggling into his chest. He looked down at her, placed a kiss on her jaw and repositioned his head on the pillow, falling asleep moments later.

Oo0o0o0o0o

Finn watched the pan in front of him like it was about to stand up and do back flips—Rachel totally didn't need burned pancakes (not to mention a burned kitchen) to wake up to this morning. He licked his lips and slid the spatula under the golden circle and carefully turned it over, nearly fist pumping at the perfect shade of brown.

He had never made pancakes before without burning them.

Awesome.

He checked his phone for any messages before putting the finished pancake on a small stack of others next to the stove. He sprayed the pan with PAM (maybe that was why they burned all the time…he forgot the PAM and they stuck when he tried to flip them) and poured more batter into a perfect circle.

His mom hadn't called him yet—which meant one of two things. She was either on her way over here to drag him home or she hadn't checked her phone yet. Finn really hoped it was the second one. He looked at the time before setting his phone down on the counter—it was still early; his mom liked to sleep in sometimes after long shifts at work.

Finn heard a small noise to his left and turned to see a sleepy looking Rachel turning into the kitchen. Her hair was messed up on the one side; random curls and frizzy ends. Her one cheek had streaks from the bunched up fabric of the pillow she had been sleeping on and her eyes were barely open against the light of the kitchen.

He smiled softly. "Hey." He said quietly.

She bit her lip and ran a hand over her face before walking over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He smiled softly as she leaned into his chest, her head tucking perfectly under his right pec. He leaned down and kissed her head before turning the pancake in the pan.

"You weren't there when I woke up; I thought you might have gone home." She murmured against his t-shirt.

He shook his head. "No, I wanted to surprise you with breakfast."

"Surprise, the kitchen isn't burned down." He chuckled and rubbed her back with his free hand.

"Are you making fun of my lack of skills, Miss Berry?"

He felt her smile. "No, course not. I'm actually rather impressed."

Yeah, in all actuality, so was he. "I looked up the ingredients and stuff on the internet. I'm pretty sure the title was 'Pancakes for Dummies' because they described everything from how many eggs to use to how not set a dish towel near the burner."

Rachel giggled. "Well, they smell delicious." She kissed his chest.

Finn grinned and pulled back to hand her the plate that held about five pancakes. "Here, take what you want and start eating. They should still be pretty warm."

"You don't want to stop and eat too?" She asked as she set the plate on the table to get out the syrup and butter from the fridge.

"Can't stop now! I'm on a roll." He winked at her, making her giggle. He turned the pancake over in the pan and listened to her bustle around the kitchen, gathering silverware and coffee mugs from the pantry.

She sat down at the island table and poured a good amount of syrup onto two pancakes on a separate plate and dug in. She moaned around the first bite she took and Finn swallowed thickly, trying not to remember how she had sounded exactly the same when his tongue had rounded around her clit.

_Focus on the damn pancakes, Hudson. _

"I'm taking that as a good sign?" He asked.

He turned in time to see her blush. "Yeah, very good, thank you."

He smiled and nodded, turning his attention back to the pancake in front of him. He flipped it carefully. "You want anything else? Toast is easy and I'm pretty sure I can conquer scrambled eggs."

Finn could hear the smile in her voice. "No, thank you, this is perfect." She took another bite before she spoke again. "Did your mom call?"

He shook his head, putting the final pancake on the plate in the middle of the table and turned the fire off. He put saran wrap over the remaining batch of pancake batter and set it in the fridge. He sat down next to her, stole a kiss off her syrupy sweet lips and started putting butter over his pancakes.

"I'm guessing she's not up yet."

He turned to Rachel and smiled softly, taking the mugs that were next to her plate. He filled them both up with coffee and got the sugar and cream out. He dumped in two spoonfuls of sugar before adding a bit of cream.

"You feeling better…I mean, compared to last night?" Finn poured a bit of cream in Rachel's mug. She smiled softly at him in thanks.

"Much better." She looked up at him. "Thanks to you."

Finn smiled tenderly at her words. "You give me too much credit."

She shook her head, putting her hand over his on the mug of his coffee. "Sometimes I don't think I give you enough."

Finn leaned forward and planted a long kiss on her forehead. "You give me plenty." He said against her skin. He smiled and pulled back, eating the rest of his pancakes.

He picked up her fork and fed her the last bit of pancake on her plate and kissed her nose before turning around to do the dishes.

Finn washed while Rachel dried and put the cups, plates and silverware away—and for some reason he felt an overwhelming sense of comfort in the ordinary motions. He dried his hands as he left the pan to soak.

"Mind doing that last one for me? I should get going; the sooner I get home, the better." Rachel pouted and Finn chuckled, setting the towel down. "Don't pout, it's just one pan."

"No, I…I just wish you didn't have to go so soon." She set her own dish towel down and rose up on her toes to kiss him softly.

Finn cupped her face and kissed her back, running his one arm around her waist. He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I wish I didn't have to go yet either."

Rachel trailed her hand down his shirt, stopping just above the waistline of his sweatpants. "Then don't go yet."

He smiled and shook his head, his tongue running over her lower lip as she slid a thumb past the waistband.

"I have to, I don't want to get in trou—" He broke off in a moan as Rachel slid her thumb over his boxers and top part of his cock.

His hand seized her wrist instinctively before she could go lower and he smirked against her lips, shaking his head a little. "Not fair…are you trying to seduce me, Miss Berry?"

She leaned up and kissed his lower lip, trying to move her hand lower in his grip. "Trying…"

"You know…if you go any lower you'll succeed."

She smiled against his lips, kissing him softly. "Then let go of my wrist."

Finn kissed her lower lip as he gently pulled his fingers back, releasing her wrist. She pushed her hand into his pants, gripping him softly. He groaned, his large hands grasping her waist. Before she could go any farther, he picked her up, walking over to one of the kitchen chairs. He sat down, pulling her to straddle his waist.

Rachel quickly slid her hand back in his pants and he kissed her neck, nearly asking permission to do the same. He groaned when her thumb ran over the head of his cock.

"Touch me, Finn." Rachel moaned, rocking her hips slightly. "Please?"

She barely said the last word of her plea before Finn complied. He slid her nightgown up and then his hand dipped lower, sliding past her cotton panties. He nearly came at how wet she was; his fingers running gently over her folds.

Rachel whined softly—a strangled moan sliding past her lips, as he slid two fingers into her. Finn thought for a moment that he had done too many too soon, because in the tub he had worked her up to it, and he nearly pulled back out but then Rachel started to rock her hips.

Finn smirked softly; glad he was doing something right. He was happy that it didn't take a lot of fancy moves or foreplay to turn Rachel on—Santana had been all…jumping through hoops and rings of fire and she had just been so goddamn hard to please that he had just given up, let her do everything while she called him things like 'beached whale'.

He gasped softly as Rachel started kissing his neck—now was _so_ not the time to be thinking of Santana.

His thumb grazed her clit as Rachel's palm slid over his balls. He panted softly, passion and desire curling inside his belly. He tried to slide her nightgown over her head with one hand and she giggled softly when it kept getting stuck somewhere in the middle. She reached up under the shirt and behind her back, unhooking her bra instead of trying to take the long shirt off. She turned her wrist in his pants, squeezing and stroking him as she did so and his hips jerked on their own accord.

How the hell did she multi-task like that?

His hand moved under her shirt, gently cupping her exposed breast as he jerked his fingers inside her, finding a fast paced motion. Rachel's hand found a similar pace around his cock, her thumb swiping his balls and the tip of his cock every so often. _Every_ time she did that, his insides felt like they were about to explode.

He could tell she was close when her free hand squeezed his shoulder, her head thrown back as she rocked against his motions. He slid a third finger into her, his thumb swiping her clit one final time. She came moments later, walls tightening around his fingers. He groaned and came hard at the sensation—the image of his cock where his fingers were bleeding into his euphorically dazed mind.

They both pulled their hands free—Finn actually thought for a moment that it had been at the same time, before Rachel leaned against his chest, the chair moaning under their combined weight. He panted, running a hand down her back, enjoying the feeling of her heaving chest against his—nipples taut against his t-shirt covered skin.

Finn lazily kissed the side of Rachel's neck, shivering when her nose ran over his shoulder. He couldn't help but think about what their first time would be like and how he couldn't wait to experience it with her.

Before he could say anything his phone started to chirp loudly near the stove. Finn swore and picked Rachel up, setting her on the ground. She stumbled; her legs a bit jello-y from her orgasm, not ready to stand up on solid ground yet.

He grabbed her arm and steadied her, reaching for his cell phone. "Shit, it's my mom. I have to go, I'm sorry."

She smiled softly at him, curling her hair around her ear. "It's okay. I didn't mean to make you late…well, lat_er_. I hope you don't get into too much trouble."

Finn smiled, letting his phone go to voicemail. He knew his mom would be calling over and over again until he answered. "It was worth it." He kissed her nose. "I probably won't be able to see you…or the rest of the outside world, tonight…or probably any night until my death." She giggled. "But I'll see you at school, Monday. Okay?"

She nodded. "Don't forget to grab your suit upstairs."

"Bring it to school, Monday? I _have_ to go." Finn hurriedly located his shoes, not having time to gather all the rest of his stuff before heading towards the front door.

Rachel hurried to keep up and he turned so fast that she nearly ran into his chest. He smiled and kissed her softly. "I love you."

"Love you more!"

He chuckled. "Not possible." He tapped her nose with his finger and swiftly headed out the front door to his truck.

His phone rang again. It was only Saturday.

Monday seemed so far away.

0o0o0o0o0

Finn was sick of being sick. And he'd only felt like this since Sunday night.

It was Monday, nine in the morning. His first goddamn class and he was already miserable.

Why couldn't anyone explain to him why time seemed to move slower when he had a head cold?

This was all his mom's fault (which technically rounded back to being _his_ fault, but whatever). He had woken up Sunday with a sore throat and itchy eyes. He thought it might have been allergies or something so he ignored it.

He swore at himself.

If he ever woke up feeling like that again he was going to head straight to the kitchen to take Vitamin C—because even if it ended up being just allergies, it was, like, a backup plan so he wouldn't have to walk around feeling like _this_. This had to of been the Satan of all head colds.

His mom had noticed him feeling a bit sick and when he had woken up this morning, sneezing his head off—his mom had taken his temperature. With no fever, she merely shrugged and _made_ him go to school. He bit his lip as a tickle moved in the back of his nose. He shook his head. Fuck sneezing—he sounded like a friggin woodland giant anytime he sneezed and he refused to do that in class.

_If_ he hadn't of missed curfew on Saturday and slept over Rachel's house, his mom would have probably been a bit easier on him. He would give anything to be home; in his bed, blankets up to his chin, hot coffee helping his stuffed up sinuses and the TV on in the background.

He glanced at the clock through bleary eyes, rubbing them. He sniffled and reached for a tissue in his right pocket, dabbing his red nose. He groaned softly, digging his thumbs into his temples as a headache brewed in the back of his skull.

Couldn't this goddamn class just _end_?

The shrill bell sound that signaled the end of class was like small explosions in his head. He groaned softly and stood, gathering his books as fast as he could. He needed to blow his nose and see if he had any Advil in his locker—he could not sit through English with this headache.

By the time he made it to his locker, Finn's head felt like it was full of cotton. He coughed harshly into his arm, sniffling softly. He couldn't find his English notebook _or_ the Advil. Finn sighed softly, running a hand over his face. Of fucking course. Couldn't just one thing go right today?

He slowly walked into English. He wasn't one to be early but at least there was a bright side to that…because he knew one person that was always early.

"Finn!"

He actually smiled as he heard Rachel's voice. "Hey, baby." He said as she walked over to him.

She frowned, touching his arm. "Oh, Finn. You sound awful."

He sniffled. "Yeah, I don't feel great either."

"I didn't know you were sick, I would have baked you something to warm you up." She rubbed his arm and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

He shook his head and gently pushed her back. "No, Rach, don't. I don't want you to get sick—" He trailed off; an intense itching filling his nose. He rubbed the bridge of it with the back of his hand but a sneeze snuck up on him before he could even grab a tissue.

Finn quickly turned away from her. "Heh-_shhh_!" He managed to catch it in his elbow and sniffled wetly.

He groaned and rubbed his forehead as he heard Rachel move across the room to her bookbag. She approached him again moments later with a few tissues.

"Here, hun." She gently rubbed his arm as he took the tissues from her. God, he was so gross. How was Rachel even touching him right now?

He blew his nose and threw away the tissues, trying to manage a small smile in her direction. "I thought you hated being around sick people. You're always worried you're going to get brachiosaurus in the winter."

She giggled. "_Bronchitis, _Finn, and you're right. Bronchitis would _ruin_ my voice until I got better but…" She gently bit her lip as she touched his hand. "You're sick and you seem so miserable. I love you and I want to help you feel better as best as I can."

Finn smiled softly and shook his head. She was too good for him. "Are you sure? I'll feel even worse if I get you sick."

She smirked softly and gently touched the tip of his nose with her finger. He scrunched it and playfully swatted her hand away. "Don't worry about me. Now, come on." She took his hand as students started piling into the room. "Let's get through English."

O00o0o00o0

Finn felt even worse by lunch. He didn't feel like doing anything—all he wanted to do was sit and put his head down on the table. But of course Rachel wasn't having any of that. He sighed softly as he watched his tiny girlfriend move through the lunch line, piling a tray full of food for him.

He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. He couldn't even imagine what he looked like—eyes tired, probably had long purple bags under them, a red nose, dry lips, and slightly pink skin with a clammy forehead.

Rachel approached the table and set down a plate full of pancakes in front of him. She smiled. "Eat."

He groaned softly. "I'm not hungry, Rach." He said, voice scratchy. He coughed to try and soothe his aching throat.

She sat down next to him and moved a plate of waffles for her and two cups of hot water off the blue tray, pushing it aside. "I don't think I've ever heard you say that."

He rolled his eyes. "What's the point of eating anything when I can't taste it anyways?"

Rachel giggled. "You need to have food in your stomach to take Advil."

"I don't have any; I checked my locker and nothing." He sighed.

"No, but I do." She pulled out a little bottle from her bookbag, it had pink glitter on it along with star stickers.

He wanted to laugh but he was afraid he'd set off a coughing fit. "Alright, fine. I'll eat." He sniffled, picking up his fork to dig into his pancakes.

Finn ate as much as he could tolerate and sipped back the Advil with some orange juice. He sniffled and rubbed his forehead, waiting for the pills to take effect.

Rachel rubbed his arm soothingly. "You should go home, get some sleep."

"You think I'd still be here if that was an option?" He asked, trying to keep irritation out of his voice.

She bit her lip. "I just mean…you look like death."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small pink pouch. She unzipped it and dumped two teabags out, pulling them free of their wrappers and dunking them into the two cups of hot water in front of her.

He tried really hard not to be an asshole with this. "That is the nicest compliment anyone has ever given me, thank you." He said sarcastically. "My mom thinks this is some brilliant form of punishment for sleeping over your h-house." He shook his head and turned away from her, putting his arm up over his face. "Aheh-_shoo_!"

"Bless you?" Rachel offered, dipping the teabags in and out of the cups.

He sighed, reaching into his letterman jacket for some tissues. He hadn't meant to be such an asshole to her but…he was just not the greatest person while sick. But seriously, who was? Being miserable and grouchy went right along with the coughing, sneezing and sore throat.

Finn rubbed the bridge of his nose as he felt Rachel run a tender hand over his thigh. He stole a glance at her as she took one of the teabags out of the cup and squeezed the water from it with her fingers. She winced softly as the hot water burned the pads of her skin and set the teabag down on a napkin.

"Are you sure you want to be spending so much time with me when I'm like this?" He asked, a hint of joking to his tone. "I'm obviously not the greatest of company and I'm really worried about getting you sick."

She turned and stuck her tongue out at him. "I have a great immune system." She challenged. She set a cup of hot tea in front of him. "Drink this; it'll make you feel better."

He eyed up the cup and gave her a look. "Oh, really?"

Rachel smiled. "Yes! It's got some essential herbs and such and honey!" He smiled softly at her. "It'll soothe your throat and help boost your immune system."

Finn took the cup and tried to breathe in a bit of the steam, hoping it would clear his sinuses. "And if I don't drink it?"

She smirked. "I'll kiss you, opening up all my chances to get sick!"

He shook his head. "Why do you have to play so dirty?"

Rachel giggled as Finn leaned forward and placed a kiss on her hairline, curling hair around her ear.

Finn stroked the side of her face before pulling back and sipping from the cup. The hot liquid soothed his throat as he swallowed. He watched Rachel sip from her cup and finish her waffles, smiling softly at him as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

The steam from the cup loosened up his sinuses a little, relieving some of the pressure. He sniffled softly, picking up the scent of the tea. It smelled like cinnamon and honey.

"Think your mom will let me come over and bring you soup tonight?"

Finn sniffled, blowing his nose to prevent another sneeze. "Maybe…as long as you bring enough to give her a bowl too."

She laughed. "Like a peace offering?"

Finn smirked. "Yeah, exactly. Maybe then she'll even let you stay to watch a movie or something."

"Well, in that case I will make a large batch of my chicken noodle soup. The perfect cure for pesky colds."

Finn chuckled and took Rachel's hand under the table. "Thanks for taking care of me, Rach." He said softly when the bell rang, making everyone in the cafeteria groan as they stood with their lunch trays and bookbags.

Rachel sipped the rest of her tea and put her backpack over her shoulders. "You'd do the same thing for me."

"I'd totally make you soup." He smiled, putting an arm over her shoulder as they started to walk through the cafeteria to head to class. "Course, I'd probably burn it on the stove or something."

She laughed, pulling on his jacket. He knew that could only mean one thing.

Finn leaned down just enough so she could raise herself up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

Oo0o0o0o0

:) hope everyone enjoyed the update! I will update as soon as I can, possibly before I start school next week :/ love you guys!


	27. Chapter 27

So…hi? Lksdjf This fic is actually going to be longer than I thought because I've now decided what I am going to do about everything. So yeah :)

Enjoy! Sorry it takes me longer to update, I have school guys. I am human! But I appreciate everyone being so patient and loving my story!

You guys are the best!

O0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 27

Finn sniffled and closed his locker, running a hand through his hair. One more period. One more and he could go home and sleep for a month. Well, sleep until Rachel came over with soup at least.

He adjusted the shoulder strap of his book bag and started down the hall to Biology. He was feeling much better ever since Rachel had given him that tea to drink. He wasn't sneezing anymore, his headache was starting the fade (well he figured he could thank the Advil for that), and his throat wasn't as scratchy as it was before.

All in all, he felt better, and he couldn't wait to give Rachel a bunch of kisses for having a major part in that.

"Finn!"

He stopped right before he went into the classroom, turning towards the sound of his name being called.

"Sam?" He frowned at his friend as he rushed toward him, nearly knocking into a few students along the way. "Whoa, dude. What's the matter? You almost took out Becky from my Math class."

Sam skidded to a stop in front of him, panting softly. Red, blue and purple blotches were on the long patterned sleeves of his button down. They were obviously from a multiple slushie attack…but Sam wasn't covered in the thick, syrupy liquid.

"You have shit all over your sleeves, dude."

Sam sighed. "I _know_. Finn, listen…its Rachel."

Finn froze, fear gripping his stomach. He started to piece together what could be wrong with Rachel just by the look on Sam's face and the stains on his shirt. "What…what about Rachel?"

"Come on, come with me." He tugged on Finn's jacket once before heading down the hall.

Finn couldn't move for several seconds before finally getting his feet to jerk forward. He started to follow Sam down the hall before he felt another hand on his arm.

"Hey, Bio is that way." Emily smiled up at him and then saw the look on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Uh, no…not exactly. Hey, can you take notes for me in Bio?" She frowned and he licked his lips. She probably thought he was trying to take advantage of her. "I swear, it's an emergency." He really didn't have time to stand in the hallway and debate with her. "Thanks, Em, I really owe you."

He passed her before she could really give him an answer, but he trusted her to be his friend when he needed her. Finn jogged down the hall to catch up with Sam.

"Sam, what happened to Rachel?"

Sam turned just enough to talk to him as he kept walking down the hall. "Fucking Amizo and Karofsky along with some guys from the hockey team slushie bombed her outside the auditorium."

He couldn't even respond to Sam because he was seeing red. His fists clenched in an angry rush as he thought about those assholes throwing not one, but at least _four_ slushies at Rachel at once. That's what a slushie bomb was. They stung like a fucking son of a bitch—the syrup soaked into every piece of fabric. _Not only does it ruin your clothes, the syrup, like, soaks into your hair and continuously drips into your eyes until you shower._

He shook his head, swallowing the urge to punch a nearby locker as he walked. Rachel didn't deserve that. No one really deserved it.

"And how did you find out about it?"

Sam sighed as he stopped outside of the men's locker room. "I was walking to Spanish; I turned the corner and saw those assholes bomb her." Finn swallowed, picking up Sam's anger like a satellite. He was just as pissed as he was…because he loved her, Finn realized. Sam loved Rachel too.

Sam shook his head. "I know Rachel's not the most popular girl in school but…no one stepped in to help her. They just started laughing, Finn!" He watched Sam tighten his fists as Finn's jaw clenched.

"I pushed through the crowd and pulled her away…I took her inside the men's locker room and tried to help her clean up but she wanted you." He rubbed the back of his neck. Finn didn't know whether he was jealous that Rachel didn't want him to help her or just pissed off at the whole situation.

Finn looked at the door before glancing at Sam. "Thanks Sam…you're a really good friend for her."

He managed the smallest of smiles. "She deserves good friends."

Finn put a strong hand on Sam's shoulder, squeezing once before pushing past him to go into the locker room. It was empty for the most part. He walked through the rows of red lockers, stepping over leftover shoes, gym shirts and pennies from the classes earlier that day.

At least he and Rachel wouldn't be interrupted. The locker rooms were clear after fourth period until the janitors came in to clean up at the end of the school day. With no football practice until tomorrow, he could take care of Rachel in the sanctuary of this room—without the looks of other students or teachers.

He heard a sink running and set his book bag near one of the set of lockers as he turned towards the row of sinks. He saw Rachel by the sink, covered in brown ice, trying to get any of the sticky substance of her with paper towels. She jumped as she finally saw his presence in one of the mirrors.

Finn swallowed. He took his jacket off and set it down on one of the other sinks. "Baby." He said softly, walking towards her.

He went to take her in his arms but she shook her head. "No, don't." Her lip wobbled, putting her hands on his chest to stop him. "I'm c-covered."

Finn shook his head, wrapping his large hands around hers. "I don't care. Hey," He gently took her arm as she tried to pull away from him. "I don't care."

She sniffled as he pulled her into his chest. Rachel crumbled; the wall she had tried to keep up broke as soon as he wrapped his arms around her. She sobbed into his chest, nearly falling limp against him. His face twisted in sympathy for her, stroking her back. He held her close to him and kissed her head.

"Shh." He tried, trying his best to comfort her. "Come on." He said, gently walking with her against his chest.

"No, I don't want…I can't leave yet." Rachel cried, her hands fisting in his shirt.

"We're not leaving. I'm cleaning you up." Finn said tenderly.

He walked with her through the aisles of lockers until he reached the showers. She sniffled and pulled away from him, her face twisted with sadness and blush splotches from being so ashamed.

Her bangs were starting to dry a little, her lovely curls crusting over from the syrup in the slushies. Her white shirt and light blue skirt were completely ruined, the fabric saturated with ugly brown spots. He shook his head, trying not to let anger light him up inside as he took care of her.

She leaned against one of the shower walls and Finn kissed her forehead. She sniffled as Finn gently played with the ends of her shirt. He tugged it up and she lifted her arms so he could slip it off. He kissed her shoulder and noticed that her white bra was ruined too, ugly brown spots ruining the white lace.

"I'm so sorry this happened." He said as she slipped her shoes off, undoing her skirt.

He went to his gym locker, looking for the body soap and shampoo he kept in there for after football. She'd smell like boy for a little but at least she wouldn't be miserably uncomfortable from the slushie attack.

"It's not your fault." Rachel rubbed at her nose as she stood there in her underwear and bra, waiting for him to bring over the shower stuff. "I feel bad you have to do this when you're sick." She reached up and touched her hair as he came over and turned one of the showers on warm.

He ran his hands down her arms. She was shivering, goosebumps all over her skin. He rubbed her arms softly and kissed her cheek.

"Don't be. I feel a lot better actually. What was in that tea you gave me?" He asked, smiling.

That earned a small smile from her. "It's a secret."

He chuckled. "Oh, really?" He tickled her sides just a little.

She kissed his cheek. "Yeah, I'm glad you're feeling better. I hate seeing you so disheveled."

What did a shovel have anything to do with him being sick? He just nodded and gave a slight head nod in the general direction of the warm shower stream.

"Shower, I'll get you some of my sweats to wear home." He didn't want to deal with leaving her to go to her locker to find the spare clothes she kept for cases like this. He didn't want to leave her side.

She didn't object to spending the rest of the day in his clothes so he said nothing as he went over to his locker.

Finn opened the red, creaky door to look for something that didn't smell like Gatorade or sweat. He glanced up to see Rachel undo her bra and set it on the ground with the rest of her clothes…and alright, she was upset and stuff but was he just supposed to ignore her very hot and very _naked_ body literally two feet away from him? He briefly checked out her ass when she took off her underwear. He turned back to look for the sweats as she stepped into the shower stall.

Finn dropped a pair of basketball sweats and an old shirt on the bleacher after smelling them. They smelled more of his deodorant and cologne instead of sweat and feet…so he figured it was better than nothing. He kicked his shoes off and peeled his socks down as well, pulling his shirt over his head. He ran a hand through his hair and undid his belt, sliding his jeans down. He slowly walked over to Rachel in his boxers, watching her as she frustratingly tried to get the syrup out of her hair.

He slid off his boxers and slowly went into the shower with her. She wasn't facing him but he could tell she knew he had joined her. She sniffled softly and he put his hands on her shoulders, gently kissing the back of her neck.

"I can't get the stupid syrup out." She said, her voice thick with congestion. He couldn't tell if that was from the steam of the shower or because she had started crying again.

He nodded. "I know." He gently turned her around so she was facing him and backed her up into the flow of the water; he worked his fingers into her hair, trying to get every strand wet with warm water.

He felt her hands gently rest on his sides. "And you have much longer hair than I do, so it might take a few washes to get all of it out."

She nodded softly and closed her eyes as Finn poured shampoo into her hair, working it into her locks. He rinsed it out as best as he could but her hair still felt like wet straw in his hands—definitely not the soft curls he was used to. Shit.

Sometimes the slushie syrup just didn't work well with people's hair. He remembered this one time Quinn had to go the salon to get a work-up on her hair because the sticky shit had damaged her blonde locks.

Finn had been so focused on her hair that he hadn't seen her lower lip wobbling. He frowned and cupped her face. "Hey," He said softly. "Don't cry. It's okay. My mom has this treating conditioner at home. You can borrow it."

"It's not about my hair." She choked out, looking up at him. "You didn't see how everyone was just…staring at me, laughing. This wasn't just about me." Her voice shuddered and something sick squeezed Finn's gut. "Amizo and Karofsky knew about my _dad_, Finn. They kept making jokes, asking if…if it was he was sick with a homo-disease." She closed her eyes and he felt her fists clench against his sides. "The ignorance of those two! How can they be so _cruel_?"

Finn licked his lips and just listened—being all pissed off was not going to help her right now. How had those assholes figured out about Rachel's dad? Had someone in glee club mentioned it to the wrong person? Or maybe that bake sale and its true intentions had finally reached the rumor mill of the high school. Finn bit his lip. Or maybe people were just starting to piece together things that they had heard with how Rachel was acting when she was at school. Whatever had happened, news about Rachel's dad was finally out.

And of course it was just a new and shiny opportunity to torture Rachel.

"If it wouldn't have been for Sam," She scoffed, swallowing. "I probably would still be standing there with a stupid look on my face."

Finn swallowed the rage that was building up in his chest and leaned down, wrapping her up in a hug, resting his chin on her shoulder. He was glad that he wasn't exactly focusing on her wet chest against his and the fact that she was completely naked or that there were suds from the shampoo traveling down her body—because he figured a raging hard-on would most likely ruin the moment.

Finn couldn't tell if those were tears or water droplets from her hair on his shoulder. He rubbed her back anyways. He waited for her to pull back before he tipped her chin and captured her lips in a kiss.

She kissed back slowly, some of the water from the shower getting in between their lips. As he pulled back he tried to offer her a smile, tapping her nose with his finger.

"There is nothing stupid about you," He said softly, kissing her forehead. "No more tears, okay?"

Rachel nodded softly, leaning into his chest.

Finn moved towards the stream of the water while he held Rachel in his arms. He rested his lips at the top of her hairline as he ran his hand down her hair, getting the last bit of shampoo out of her locks.

"Nationals are in a few weeks," He said softly. "I know this seems like ages ago but Quinn stepped down as the female lead."

"With everything going on with my dad," Rachel said softly against his chest. "I completely forgot that Quinn had even tried to take the spot from me."

He squirted a blob of conditioner into his hands and gently started lacing it throughout her hair, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Well, you have a little bit of time to think about it. Otherwise we're going to have to start training Santana or Mercedes to take your place."

She snorted but humor was long gone from her voice. "They'd walk over my dying body for a solo."

Finn tried to keep a smile from breaking out on his face. "I know…which is why I hope you'll take your rightful place as female lead and blow New York out of the water."

He smiled as a soft pink blush painted her cheekbones. "You know it's true." He told her, rinsing conditioner from her hair.

Finn turned off the shower when he was satisfied that all the conditioner was out of her hair. He ran his hands up and down her arms while kissing the bridge of her nose.

"Let's get you dressed before all the steam disappears from the locker room." He smiled. "I don't want you to get cold."

Rachel smiled and kissed his lips before stepping out of the shower stall. He totally had no idea that she had a birth mark right above her butt.

0o0o0o0o

Finn groaned softly as he lifted his head off the pillow. The doorbell sounded like freaking gongs in his head. Why did headaches always have to amplify the goddamn sound? He slowly pulled himself from the couch; his nose starting to run like a dripping faucet. He coughed as he reached for a tissue over the coffee table when the doorbell came again.

"I'm coming!" His 'ing' sounded like a 'b' so hopefully whoever was behind the door knew what the hell he was trying to say. He blew his nose as he made his way to the front door.

Finn smiled gratefully at his tiny girlfriend. "I thought you were coming around seven?"

She frowned. "You sound so much worse than before, baby."

Finn's stomach warmed at the pet name. "I feel worse t-too—" He turned away from her and poked his head back into the house. "_Ha-shhh_!" He thought he felt a double coming on but it just teased his nose instead. He sighed and looked at Rachel again.

She smiled sympathetically at him, handing him a tissue from her pink, sweater. He took it and blew his nose, throwing it into the trashcan near the coat hanger.

"Bless you."

"You didn't happen to bring more of that tea did you?"

Rachel grinned as she pulled a thermos out of her big pink bag…did it seriously have poodles on it? She handed him the silver container with a kiss on his cheek.

"Yep."

"Did I mention you're the best girlfriend ever?" He asked her as she passed him into his house.

She giggled. "Yes…but you still have yet to tell me today." She winked at him, making him chuckle. He unscrewed the lid of the thermos and took a long sip.

The hot liquid soothed his aching throat while he watched Rachel pull off her sweater. She hung it up on the coat rack and looked through her large bag.

"Where's your mom?"

"Upstairs." He sniffled.

She pulled a container of soup out and started to walk to the kitchen. He slowly followed her, coughing into the crook of his arm.

"See your dad yet today?"

"Does she know that I'm coming over?"

Finn swallowed. "Yeah, I told her when I got home from school."

She pulled the lid off the container, a small smile on her lips. "And she was fine with it?"

"Well, she didn't lock me in my room and turn all the lights off in the house to pretend we weren't home." He teased, making her giggle. She got out three bowls out from the cupboard and looked for a soup ladle in a few drawers.

He came up beside her and pulled the ladle out from a drawer she hadn't checked near the fridge. She smiled as he kissed her cheek.

She evenly poured chicken noodle soup into the bowls, putting the lid back on when she finished. He watched her put the first bowl into the microwave and set the timer.

Finn sat down at the kitchen table. "You never told me if you saw your dad today."

Rachel walked over and perched herself upon his lap, leaning into his chest. She kissed his forehead, running her fingers through his hair. He sighed softly, letting his eyes close at the soft massage. The girl was better than Tylenol.

"You don't feel warm."

"And here I thought you considered me to be the hottest guy in school."

He opened his eyes to see her smile widely. She kissed the tip of his red nose. "I do. But at least you don't have a fever. You're getting better."

"It's the tea."

Rachel smiled. "Then the soup should make you all brand new."

He chuckled and ran a tender hand through her hair. "Let's hope so." His other hand rested on her waist, gently stroking the fabric of her yellow skirt. "Your hair feels softer."

She nodded softly, looking down, long eyelashes brushing over the skin under her eyes. "It took three scrubbing and rinse cycles to accomplish this."

He kissed her cheek. "Your hair should be much better by tomorrow. Remind me to get you that conditioner my mom has."

"What does your mom have?" Carol asked as she walked into the kitchen. She smiled at Rachel. "Hello, dear, how are you?"

"Fine, Carol and yourself?"

"Much better now that I know that you brought homemade chicken noodle soup!"

Finn's heart warmed at the smile and blush that appeared on Rachel's face. He stood up, holding onto her forearms to make sure she didn't stumble back off his lap.

He went to the microwave and took out the hot soup and replaced it with a cold bowl. He took out three spoons and pushed the bowl towards Rachel.

"Ladies first."

His mother snorted in good humor. "And what am I? A banana?"

Finn blushed a dark red as a spur of giggles erupted from Rachel; she tried to put a hand over her mouth. He opened his mouth to reply but his mom beat him to it.

"And if your lips even mutter that you meant to say '_young_er ladies first' I will whack you in the head with a wooden spoon."

Finn's mouth snapped shut like a bear trap and pushed the bowl away from his girlfriend to his mom…who pushed it right back to Rachel.

"She's _the_ guest, Finn. Have some manners."

Rachel snorted as Finn's mouth opened like a gaping fish and took a bite of her soup.

0o00o0o0

Rachel slid her arms into her pink sweater as Finn held it up for her. "When are visiting hours over for the night?"

Rachel looked up at him as she buttoned her sweater. "Wait, you're taking me?"

Finn raised his eyebrows. "I uh, thought so…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't have to if you don't want me too."

She gently poked his side. "Of course I want you to, it's just…you're sick and aren't you grounded from now until eternity?"

"Perhaps even _after_ eternity." His mother's voice floated from the living room and Finn rolled his eyes.

Rachel smiled softly and leaned up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "It's okay; I can call Sam to come with me."

Finn nearly stomped his foot like a toddler. "No, I can do it." He turned his head. "Mom, please? Promise, I'll be back before ten!"

"Like you promised you'd be back before one on prom night?"

Finn winced. "I really, honestly, _actually_ promise this time. Come on, I don't want Rachel to be in that place by herself."

The place smelled like old people, burnt coffee and lemon cleaner. It felt like desperation and death. The people who worked there, particularly the grouchy nurses, were underpaid and overworked. He didn't want Rachel to deal with those things by herself, especially if her dad actually went home to get some sleep and eat food that wasn't chips or gross hospital French fries.

He heard his mom get up from the couch in the living room, her socks padding across the carpet. She poked her head around the corner to look at them both.

She gave Finn a hard look that made him swallow. "If you're one minute past ten, mister, you are _sleeping_ the back of your truck."

Finn nodded, eyes widening just a bit. "Duly noted."

He grabbed his letterman jacket and slid it on, pushing his hands through the sleeves. He smiled at Rachel as she handed him the keys to his truck and he held the door open for her as they went to leave for the hospital.

0o0o0o0o

Finn hummed to himself as he carefully carried the hot cup of tea in the tiny Styrofoam cup back to Mr. Berry's hospital room.

When he and Rachel had arrived in her dad's room over a half an hour ago, she had instantly noticed that the room wasn't as comfortable as it usually was. Mr. Hiram had gone home for a little but Rachel said she wouldn't be surprised if he showed back up before they left.

Finn really admired the man's commitment to his other half. A half smile had appeared on his face. He couldn't help but feel the same way towards his daughter.

He had noticed that at some point during their visit, Rachel had started shivering. The room was a bit colder than it seemed to be the other times he had visited but he thought that maybe his cold was messing with his temperature or something.

They had pulled two chairs together and Rachel had been leaning into Finn's side, trying to watch some mindless television show on the TV. He finally couldn't take her shaking and slid off his letterman jacket to put onto her shoulders.

"I'll get you something hot to drink." He had offered, standing and checking his pockets for money. "I'll be right back." He had kissed her chilled nose and smiled, heading out of the room and down the hall.

Of course, Finn managed to get turned around as he tried to get to the cafeteria. The hospital was too damn big and he was awful at reading directional signs. Eventually, he had managed to get Rachel her tea.

Now he just had to figure out a way to get back before the hot drink turned cold. He recognized some of the hallway photos; random smiling doctors, certificates of excellence for the hospital, odd paintings of single flowers and clouds, and knew he was heading in the right direction.

He nearly took out a nurse as he turned a corner. "Sorry."

"Watch where you're going, kid." The girl sighed, waiting for him to pass before going to the nursing station to bullshit with other people just as miserable as her.

Finn had to resist rolling his eyes and muttering something about how she was a burst of yellow sunshine and walked past the station.

But something that floated to his ears from their conversation made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Room 453? Yeah, that guys a goner." One male-nurse snorted.

453. _453_. That was Rachel's dad's room. Finn swallowed.

"Really? I thought he was responding to the treatment." Miserable bitch 1 commented absently, flipping through pages of a chart.

"Well, he was but they found more tumors and yeah, typical you know? Guy doesn't smoke his entire life and he ends up with throat cancer. Damn shame." Miserable bitch 2 said, nearly monotone. She didn't sound like she _meant_ that it was a damn shame at all.

Finn turned his head to watch miserable bitch 1 shrug. "Some people are just really unlucky."

The male nurse leaned onto the counter and quirked a smile. "Wanna place a bet?"

The girls looked at each other and then rolled their eyes. "You're barbaric—"

"And morbid." Miserable bitch 1 interrupted.

He snorted. "You're just jealous you never win. I make all the mula in this joint. Come on, that much progression in such a short amount of time? I give him a month, tops. And that's with no complications."

Finn's hand was curling into a fist at his side, he was surprised that the tea hadn't spilled from the cup in his other hand; he was shaking with so much anger.

He walked right up to the nurses' station. "Hey," He snapped, gaining all three of their attention at once. "That's someone's _father_ in there. Someone's husband."

Miserable bitch 1 looked uncomfortable, embarrassed, and nervous and she _should_ have because he wasn't goddamn done yet.

"Where the hell do you get off betting on someone's life? How would you feel if someone was betting on your father like that?" Finn tried to keep his anger in control and from raising his voice. He didn't want Rachel to come out the room and see him yelling at three nurses over her father. "That's a _person_ in that bed in there! He has a family; he's not a fucking piece of furniture!"

"We're…" Miserable bitch 2 looked at the male nurse, who couldn't even look Finn straight in the eye. "We're incredibly sorry, sir. You're right; it was very unprofessional of us to even…"

"Don't." Finn hissed, shaking his head. "Don't give me that. This has nothing to do with being professional. I swear to God, if I see any of you in that room again, I'll speak to your manager…or head doctor or…chief," Thanks _Grey's Anatomy_. "about this little incident so fast that you won't even get a change to place a bet on how long you'll have before you're _fired_."

Finn turned around and stalked down the hall and to Rachel's room, anger seething through his veins. His knees were shaking and his palms were sweaty and he was pretty sure he had how he was feeling written all over his face. He stopped right before he entered and closed his eyes, trying to take a long and calming breath.

His eyes snapped open.

Rachel's dad had maybe a month. Probably less. Fear gripped his stomach and sadness filled his chest, making his eyes sting and his head hurt.

Were those nurses even right? Just because they were assholes didn't mean they had their information wrong.

He couldn't bear to tell Rachel. He couldn't even _think_ about telling her. He ran a tired hand over his face and turned into the room.

"Hey, you okay?"

He looked at Rachel and smiled softly. "Yeah," His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "Here."

She smiled softly and took the cup from him as he sat down next to her again, putting a tight arm over her shoulder, squeezing softly.

"Thank you." She blew the steam from the cup and took a small sip. She rested her head on his shoulder and looked over at her dad.

Finn placed his lips in her hair, running his thumb over her shoulder every now and then.

Time seemed to fly right out the window.

He had to wake Rachel at a quarter to ten, reminding her that if he didn't get home in time that his mother would make him sleep in his truck…and how he knew she was totally serious on that threat.

"You've been quiet." Rachel said with a yawn, wrapping his jacket closer around her tiny body.

Finn smiled softly at her and ran a hand through her hair, untangling bits that had crumpled up as she slept on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'm just tired." He told her, part truth and part not. But she seemed to buy it enough, gently rubbing his arm.

"I was thinking about Nationals." Rachel bit her lip as she put the chairs back to where they were before they had arrived. "And you know…if I should go…with my dad in such grave condition."

Finn swallowed. If Rachel didn't go to New York with the rest of the Glee club they'd lose for sure…but if those nurses were right and Rachel's dad didn't have a lot of time left…wasn't it more important that she spent every last moment she could with him? What if something happened to him while she was gone?

"It's just…I don't." She stopped and thought a moment. "What if something happens to him when I'm in New York?"

Could she read his mind or was his face saying everything he was thinking?

Finn pulled her into his arms, wrapping her tightly against his chest, gently rocking her from side to side. He really didn't have the words to try and make her feel better; he didn't trust himself or anything that could come out of his mouth. So he hoped his touch would do. She seemed to visibly relax as he squeezed her tiny form into his.

"I can't go, Finn." Rachel said, he could hear tears in her voice. "I can't leave him."

"You can," Finn turned his head to the forceful voice in the doorway. It was Mr. Hiram. "And you will."

O00o0o0o

"Finn, will you please wait outside a moment?" Mr. Hiram asked, as polite as he possibly could.

He nodded softly and went to pull back from Rachel but her arms were squeezing his sides so hard. He looked down at her and placed a reassuring kiss on her cheek.

"I'll be right outside." He said softly, squeezing her once before pulling back and walking past her dad.

He leaned against the wall right outside her father's room, trying not to eavesdrop on the conversation. Mr. Hiram was a calm man, always had a positive outlook, a kind smile and an understanding glance. Always. Well, at least, it seemed that way every time Finn had talked to him. He was pissed about something; that was clear. Finn just didn't know what it was.

He swallowed.

Maybe the nurses talked to him or even a doctor…did he know that his husband didn't have much time left? But then, why would he be forcing Rachel to go to New York?

"Daddy, I can't just…"

"Rachel Barbra Berry, you listen to me, you will not put your future on hold like this."

"My-my future?" Rachel stuttered. "I'm not! It's just Nationals, I…even if we win, I'll still have senior year to compete and—"

"No," He cut her off and Finn winced softly. "You're going and that's that. I need you to go."

"You…need me to go?" Rachel's voice was soft, hurt. "But…daddy."

"I can't take care of all of us, Rachel." His voice was strained with pain and anger. "I just can't."

Finn turned just as Rachel rushed out of the room, nearly running past him. He grabbed her arm at the last minute.

"Hey, hey." He gently clasped the back of her elbow, trying to pull her closer. Her face was streaked with tears.

"Why—" She broke off, shaking her head. "Will you take me home?"

Finn nodded softly. "Yeah, of course."

She didn't need to ask. She never needed to ask.

O0o0o0o00o

Finn turned the engine off after he parked in Rachel's driveway. 9:55 PM. Yeah, he was totally sleeping in his truck tonight.

"You okay?" He asked, the silence burning his ears. Rachel shrugged softly as she looked out the window. She'd been in the same position since they'd left the hospital.

"You shouldn't have to deal with this," She said finally. "This…depressing stuff. I'm…I'm sad all the time, I cry a lot more than I should and—"

"Don't." Finn said, cutting her off. "Don't do that. Don't think I don't want a part in this, to be there for you. Because if I didn't you'd know it." He took her hand off her lap. Her skin was cold. He shook it softly until she looked at him. He gave her a brief, fleeting smile. "Okay?"

The smile she gave didn't reach her eyes. It didn't even look real. "You're going to be late."

Finn shrugged. "I kind of wanted to sleep in my truck anyways," He joked. "Got a blanket and everything."

She bit her lip and leaned over the middle of the seat. He opened his arms for her as she fit against him like a perfect puzzle piece meeting another.

"I'm sorry about your dad." Finn said softly, into her hair.

She scoffed against his chest. "Which one?"

"Both." He nodded. "Mr. Hiram seems exhausted."

Rachel nodded softly. "He is," She shook her head. "But…"

"I know." He said softly, quieting her against him. He may have been exhausted but he shouldn't have been taking his pain, anger and sadness out on Rachel, forcing her to focus on the future instead of the present, like she wanted to.

He kissed her head. "Guess I'm going to New York."

He had never heard her sound so sullen about her favorite city since he'd known her. Her sadness about New York just didn't mix together…it was like…ice cream and French fries. No…wait…ice cream and _sardines_.

"Don't sound so bummed out." Finn shook her a little, trying to cheer her up. "Performing in New York, the big…apple," Finn licked his lips, "we can eat deep dish pizzas!"

The giggle that came out of her mouth was genuine and he smiled, warmth spreading through his chest. "That's Chicago, Finn."

"Oh…right. Well I'm sure New York has pizza. We can make a date out of it."

She leaned up and kissed him softly; he tasted her strawberry lip gloss. "Yes, they do. It's a date."

He kissed her forehead, closing his eyes. "I can't wait," He rubbed her back. Little did she know he had other things planned for New York…and a pizza date was just the start of it. "You gonna be okay by yourself tonight?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Finn pulled back. "Alright, call me if you need anything, okay?"

She smiled softly and nodded, placing one more kiss on the corner of his mouth. "I love you."

He smiled right back. "I love you too."

She got out of the car, closing the door. He watched her pull his jacket tightly around herself as she went inside her house. He waited until she locked up before pulling out and driving home.

He didn't even need to ask her to know that she'd be sleeping in his letterman tonight.

0o0o0o00o

:) thanks for reading!


	28. Chapter 28

Hi everyone! Thanks for sticking with me through this story :) It's hard to scrounge up ideas when you have so much college work :/ Not to mention, I have a writing class so it sucks up my inspiration like a sponge but MEEP! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Hope you enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o

Chapter 28

A few months ago, this upcoming Friday had been on Finn's calendar, highlighted, circled, underlined (twice) and he had been constantly reminded about it. But now? Those months seemed _so_ far away, like years, and it seemed so insignificant compared to everything Rachel had gone through—what she was _still_ going through. But he couldn't escape it. They were friends now right? He breathed out; besides, Rachel needed some fun—to take her mind off…well, everything.

"Quinn's birthday is on Friday." He blurted out, like an alarm clock going off.

Rachel looked up from her English homework, face confused.

Finn blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Quinn had been branding it in my brain for the past few months so now I remember it every now and then."

She chuckled and wrote something in her notebook. "Automatic recall like Pavlov's dogs."

Finn frowned. Why was she calling him a dog?

"What does that have to do with our English homework, Finn?" She asked, sighing, leaning back against her chair.

Finn swallowed and put his pen down. Rachel looked so exhausted, so worn from everything. There were dark circles under her eyes, her hair didn't have its usual bouncy, glossy curls and her lower lip was red from biting it nervously. Her grades had started to slip, just a fraction, something you couldn't really tell unless you knew her well. Finn noticed. What scared him was that she didn't seem to notice or care. She got back a B on her last English paper, something Rachel Berry usually never accepted, and merely shrugged. She had stuffed it into her unkempt (a word he never associated with Rachel) pink folder with star stickers and leaned into his shoulder as the teacher droned on. He couldn't help worrying about her. Rachel kept a straight A average, even in math which was her worst class. He knew the effects of her father's situation was really starting to hit her and Finn felt more hopeless every single day that he couldn't find any way to help.

"Nothing," He replied softly. "Thought it would be fun to go. She's having a pool party."

Her eyes lit up for a second. "Is it themed?"

Finn chuckled and reached for her hand under her kitchen table. He laced his fingers around hers and slowly stroked her knuckles with his thumb.

"Yeah, like a Hawaiian luau."

She smiled softly. "We'd have to go shopping for a present…"

"I'd be more than happy to take you."

She rolled her eyes. "You hate the mall."

"But I _love_ you."

That earned him an honest giggle. "I suppose we could make it a double date with Kurt and Blaine."

He was just happy that she sounded excited about it. "Perfect, how about Thursday after school? Text Kurt."

"Or you can just ask him when you see him at home."

He snorted. "Right, me asking Kurt to go to the mall. I'm pretty sure that fulfills one of his unspoken goals in life."

Rachel giggled and squeezed his hand. "Fine, I'll text him."

They resumed their English homework, not letting go of each other's hand. Finn offered to make dinner sometime later, because he knew Rachel's dad wasn't coming home any time soon and he didn't want her to cook anything.

"You don't have to, Finn." Rachel turned in her seat as she watched him start to pull pots out of cabinets.

"I want to, and I know you're dying for burned mac n cheese." He winked at her and she smirked.

There were a few moments of comfortable silence between them; the only sound coming from Finn's bustling around the kitchen.

Rachel yawned softly, getting up to go to the fridge. "How have you been sleeping?" Finn asked, pouring a box of noodles into boiling water.

She hadn't been sleeping well and she called him sometimes when she had nightmares. It frustrated him to no end that he couldn't physically be there for her when she had those—he wanted to hold her, rock her, assure her it was just a dream (even though those nightmares about her father were ever so slowly becoming a scary reality).

Rachel shook her head, pouring herself some juice. She grabbed a pop for Finn and set it on the table. "Not good…I," She swallowed. "I sleep better when you're there." She admitted softly, tiredly.

Finn's heart clenched and he gently took her arm and pulled her into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I wish you could stay the night." Her voice cracked from lack of sleep, fatigue rolling over her in waves. Her lip wobbled.

Finn rubbed her shoulders and upper back. "Shh," He whispered softly. "Try and breathe baby, you're just tired."

Her fingers wrapped around his button down shirt and he ran a comforting hand down her hair, resting it on the back of her neck. "I wish I could stay too." He said after a few minutes. "Why don't you call someone for a sleepover? Like Kurt or Mercedes."

She shook her head, hot tears pouring over her lashes. "I just want you." She whispered softly.

"Aw, baby." He whispered, leaning down to hug her closer. "Shh."

Finn's heart clenched in his chest as Rachel trembled against him. He shook his head. He couldn't leave her, he just _couldn't._

A light bulb flickered on in his head. He had an idea.

"Alright, I'm not going anywhere, okay? I'll stay with you tonight."

Rachel pulled back from him, running the palms of her hands over her tearstained cheeks. "You can't, I _know_ you can't. I don't want your mom to start hating me; you can't keep breaking her curfew rule." She mumbled. "She's only going to be flexible for so long."

Finn reached across the table and handed her a napkin, clearing his throat. "It's not like she doesn't know we're dating," He said after a moment. And his mom knew how much Rachel needed support with everything going on with her dad.

She sighed and took the napkin from him, blowing her nose. "I'm sorry…"

He shook his head, cutting her off. "Don't apologize to me." He told her. "You're always doing that and you don't have to. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I just feel bad for being so emotionally draining." She sniffled, throwing the tissue away.

He chuckled. "I expected drama when I started dating you, Miss Berry." He winked, making her smile. Finn tilted her chin and kissed her softly. "But seriously, I can't imagine what you're going through." He rested his forehead against hers. "Don't worry about me or worry about pushing me away and _stop_ apologizing. I'm with you on this, Rachel. No matter what, okay?"

Rachel kissed him, raking her fingers through his hair. A shiver ran down his spine. He kissed her too, stroking her lower back, fingers grazing the top of her perfect behind.

Finn felt Rachel smile against his lips, gently pushing on his chest. "Check the noodles before they stick to the bottom of the pot."

He groaned and kissed her nose before pulling back to stir the noodles.

Damn cockblocking noodles.

Finn cooked Rachel an awesome mac n cheese…managing to just burn the end of the plastic spoon. But he hadn't set the kitchen on fire so he considered the cooking experience to be a success.

"I think you should play hooky on Friday." Finn told her as he stabbed the macaroni with his fork. "I could hand in your homework and pick up anything you miss."

"Finn…"

He shrugged. "I just figured you could use the day to catch up on your sleep."

"I don't…know." She bit her lip.

"I will take expertise notes." He said with a crooked smile. She gave him a skeptic look and he rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'll take okay notes and ask Emily if I can borrow some of hers."

"That poor girl is going to start thinking that you're taking advantage of her."

Finn smirked and winked suggestively. "I'll make it up to her."

Rachel shook her head, flinging a noodle at him. She laughed as it hit his chin and then fell onto his plate. "You better be kidding!"

He gasped, playful, eyes sparkling. "Or what?"

"Or I'll…throw more noodles at you!"

Finn laughed and lunged at Rachel before she could even stab another noodle to projectile at him. She squealed as he scooped her up in his arms. He took her into the living room and laid her down on the couch, slowly and carefully descending his body onto hers.

"I heard you're having trouble sleeping, Miss Berry." Finn said huskily, kissing the hollow of her throat.

She moaned softly in response, her hips guiding up to rock against his. Finn unbuttoned her skirt, sliding it aside to guide his fingers along the center of his girlfriend's underwear. He could feel heat radiating from her against the pads of his fingertips. He moved his head up and smiled, kissing her softly.

"I think I got something that can help with that." He whispered against her lips, rubbing her slit through the fabric.

Rachel's back arched as she moaned Finn's name.

0o0o0o0o0

Finn turned down the volume of the TV and settled a blanket over Rachel's shoulders as he got up to grab his cell phone from his letterman jacket. He glanced at Rachel's sleeping form on the couch before going into the kitchen.

Finn was really glad they had moved into a far more intimate part of their relationship. He loved making Rachel feel so good—he shivered and tried to ignore the hard on pressing against his jeans. He had insisted, yet again, that that wasn't about him in there. So when Rachel tried to sleepily unzip his jeans, tiredness washing over her; her body like jello from her orgasm, he merely shook his head and took both of her hands in his to stop her. He had squeezed them softly and settled her down onto the couch, telling her to go to sleep. As much as he loved the idea of Rachel touching him, making him feel just as good, he hadn't started doing that with her because he expected reciprocation.

It wasn't about that.

He cleaned up the kitchen and then dialed Sam's number, waiting for the rings to go through. He hoped he answered; Finn checked the clock, it was only ten but it was nearing his curfew.

"Hello?"

Finn fist pumped. _Success_. "Hey, man."

Finn could hear shifting on the phone. "Hey, what's up? Is Rachel okay?"

"Yeah, she's doing okay." Finn licked his lower lip and glanced towards the living room. "She's actually why I'm calling. I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

Sam smirked. "You a favor? Thought this was about Rachel."

He rolled his eyes. "It is. Look, she's been having a tough time sleeping and I want to spend the night with her but—"

"But your mom is holding you in your house with a curfew like a jail ward?"

Finn raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Yeah, exactly. So I was wondering if I could say I'm crashing over your house."

"Think she'll believe it?"

Finn looked in on Rachel again, smiling softly as she turned in her sleep. "I hope so."

Sam sighed. "Alright man, call and tell her. I'll back you up if I have to."

Finn smiled. "Thanks Sam, I owe you one."

Finn assumed Sam gave him a head nod before hanging up. He called his mom and tried to convince her as best as he could that he was staying over Sam's, because he had his play station set up and had ordered too much pizza for one person to finish. She seemed convinced and Finn knew Sam would grab the phone if she called his house.

With his mom seemingly taken care of, Finn settled down onto the couch and smiled as Rachel moved to snuggle closer to him.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"I don't even know the kind of stuff Quinn likes." Blaine said, pulling a pink sundress to look at.

Rachel bit her lip. "Other than stealing Finn away from me?" Kurt snorted and Rachel giggled. "Me neither."

Finn laced his fingers with Rachel and smiled softly, shaking his head. He tugged her hand and spun her, making her laugh. He pulled her back against his chest, his arm snaked around her front as she watched Blaine and Kurt pull a few dresses off the rack to look at.

He kissed the back of her head as she rested against his chest, her fingers playing with the rolled sleeves of his plaid button down shirt.

"That's pretty." Rachel said to Blaine as he held up a sleeveless blue sundress. It had soft, white flowers and a skinny white belt around the waist.

"I don't think it'll fit you." Finn joked, winking at Blaine.

Blaine smirked and shook his head, looking down at the dress. "Too bad, I have just the shoes to go with it."

Rachel giggled and went to take the dress from him. "I think this is perfect for Quinn…maybe we can look for accessories and make the gift from all of us."

Kurt picked out a red jacket. It kind of looked like a rain coat and Finn scratched the back of his neck. He'd never ever understand fashion of any kind.

"That's a good idea, Rachel." Kurt said, laying the red jacket over his arm.

"Oh! Then we can get French Fries at the food court." Rachel seemed like the only one who was excited about his idea…at least Blaine smiled at him, Kurt just kinda looked appalled.

Rachel bought Quinn the blue dress; Blaine insisted, even though he had been the one to find it. The red raincoat was kind of expensive so Blaine and Kurt split the cost and Finn found a little blue purse (Rachel had called it a clutch…whatever the hell _that_ meant) with little fake pearls on it.

"How is she?"

Finn turned to look down at Kurt and then glanced across the section of the mall where Blaine and Rachel were looking at scarves. She was giggling over something Blaine said as he picked up a scarf and wound it gently around Rachel's neck. Finn smirked softly, thinking back to the time she had kissed him at that awful house party. He guessed if she had to be with any guy, that wasn't him or Sam, Finn would pick Blaine.

'Cept there was the fact that Blaine was gayer than a pink skirt on a unicorn but…

He shrugged his one shoulder. "Managing. She tries to walk around sometimes like everything is back to normal but…I can see right through her."

"Is the brave face for her dads or you?"

"Her dads haven't _told_ her yet," He swallowed. "I only know because I overheard a group of nurses at the hospital."

"Wow," Kurt amended softly. "Are they going to tell her?"

Finn sighed, a headache starting to form in the back of his head. "I dunno, man. I hope so. She can't go to New York without knowing."

"She'll never go if she does."

Finn felt frustration build up in his chest but was careful not to take it out on his brother. "She doesn't want to go anyways! Her dad is forcing her."

"Forcing Rachel to go to New York to sing on stage…" Kurt mused sadly. "That's a sentence I thought I'd never have to hear."

Finn swallowed and ran a tired hand over his face. "Yeah, me neither."

Kurt looked up at him. "And there's nothing we can _do_?"

Finn watched Rachel tie a scarf around Blaine's neck, laughing as he tried to protest. "No," Finn cleared his throat as a lump appeared. "Nothing."

0o0o0o0o

"Are you mad that I ate the last French fry?" Rachel asked him as they walked, hands linked, back to his truck in the mall parking lot.

Finn laughed. "No. And by the way, I totally let you have the last fry." She giggled. "So why would I be mad about that?"

He let go of her hand to dig in his pockets for his keys. Rachel leaned back against the passenger door and watched him.

"I don't know." She said softly. "You just…you don't seem like yourself."

Finn pulled out his keys and ran a tender hand through her hair. "M'sorry. I didn't mean to be so grumpy. I uh," He licked his lips. "I have a ton of History homework that I forgot about." He lied easily (it should have really started to bother him that he was getting good at it). "So now I'm stressing about getting it done."

"Oh! Is that all? I can help you with that." She smiled, leaning forward to kiss him softly.

He smiled weakly and gave her a soft kiss in return. "I can call Emily up. She's been meaning to tell me some things about her and Sam recently, so…"

He reached past her and unlocked the car door. He took the bags from her and set them down on the floor on the passenger's side. When Finn looked back at her Rachel was frowning, nervously playing with the bottom of her green sweater.

"You'd rather have Emily help you out than me?"

He mentally smacked himself. Of course that wasn't what he meant. "What? Rachel, no, I just thought you could use some time to yourself to—"

"To what? Sleep?" She said the word like she was disgusted with it. "I'm tired of this! I don't need to be babied, I'm _fine_, Finn."

He stared at her. "You're not fine, Rachel. So stop trying to put on this brave face for me, its crap."

"It's not crap!" She yelled. He glanced around the parking lot to make sure they hadn't attracted any wandering eyes. "I'm dealing!"

"You're delving!"

"_Deflecting_!" She corrected him. "And I am not!"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. Of course he'd use the goddamn wrong word. "You put on smiles for everyone else and I get that, I really do. It's no one's goddamn business how you're feeling. But I'm different, Rachel. I'm your boyfriend, the only one who's really been there for you through this—"

"Oh, so you want an award?" She spat.

"No!" Finn yelled angrily. "I want you to stop walking on egg shells around me! I can handle whatever you have to throw at me. I don't care whether it's constant crying or walking around with a bucket full of ice cream to soothe yourself but don't put on this happy mask and expect me to believe you."

Tears started gathering in her eyes. "I-I'm not. I was happy today with you…and Kurt and Blaine."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about when it's just the two of us."

"What do you want from me? You want me to be sad all the time?"

"I want you to be honest with yourself! Your dad is dying, Rachel! You have to start dealing with what it might be like if he doesn't make it..." He tried coaxing her into the idea; because if she kept avoiding it like she was she was going to end up tail-spinning when the truth finally came out.

"Shut up!" She screamed, pushing on his chest, throwing him a bit off balance.

"I'm just trying to be honest with you! I love you Rachel and I don't want to see you fall apart, which is exactly what will happen if you ignore the—"

"Shut up! Shut _up_!" She started hitting his chest, a sob escaping her mouth.

Finn knew right before it happened and caught her in his arms as her knees gave out. He cradled her against his chest, running a hand down her back as she sobbed.

"Get off me." She tried weakly, still pushing on his chest. "Let me go." She sobbed, harder. Except now instead of pushing on his chest she was clinging to him, wrapping her fingers around his shirt.

"Never." Finn vowed softly, placing kisses in her hair. "I'm never going to let you go."

0o0o0o0oo0

"How is Rachel doing?"

Finn sighed, looking over at Emily as she wrote down a definition for chapter four. "Not…good. I mean, I guess she's been better, obviously."

She nodded. "I guess I should have assumed."

"We had a huge fight yesterday." Finn threw his pen on his notebook. "We haven't talked since I took her home."

Emily bit her lower lip. "She's trying to push you away because she cares about you, Finn. Don't let her."

Finn looked over at her. "And how do you suppose I do that?"

She shrugged. "Like you have been, just…"

"Don't let her go."

She smiled. "Exactly." She put her pen down and stretched, her back cracking slightly. "I should get home."

He stood with her and helped her pack up her things. He held up her coat for her and smiled as she slid her arms through the holes and pulled her hair out from underneath.

"Crap!" He said, suddenly remembering. "You had things to tell me about Sam."

Emily leaned against the doorframe of his front door and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's okay; we were busy discussing World War II."

He frowned. "I thought it was Vietnam."

She giggled and shook her head. "And we had to talk about Rachel so, another time." She nodded.

He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling bad. "I didn't…" He breathed out. "I have no idea why you like spending time with me, I'm totally too one-sided."

"Because you're my friend." She said, shrugging. "And it's really nice to see how much you care about people."

"I care about you too." He swallowed. "Don't think I don't."

She smiled, honestly touched. She walked over and reached up for a hug. He slowly wrapped his arms around her shoulders, smiling softly.

"And I care about you too." She told him, pulling back after a few moments. "I know you're not taking advantage of me, Finn." She could see right through his words. Amazing. "You've got a lot on your plate."

He nodded. "Thanks for seeing right through my smoke screen." When she laughed, he smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets. "So, you and Sam?"

An adorable blush poured over her cheeks. "We've been good. He took me out to dinner last night, our fourth date."

"Wow, getting serious." He teased with a smile.

She giggled. "And he invited me to come with him as his date to Quinn's party."

"So you're going to the pool party?"

She nodded. "Yep, been looking for my lucky white bathing suit ever since he asked."

He raised his eyebrows. "You have a lucky white bathing suit?"

"Long story." She said before he could even ask. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Finn nodded. "I guess you will."

She licked her lips, looking over his face. He watched her touch his wrist, running her thumb over his pulse. "Talk to Rachel." She smiled softly. "Use that charm that I know you have," He smirked softly. "Apologize and get things back to the way they were." She let go of his wrist. "Life's too short, Finn. If anything is learned from this…it's that."

She gave him a small, sad smile and turned to head to her car. Finn waved to her as she pulled out of his driveway and started on her way home.

Emily was right.

00o0o0o0o0

Finn let himself into Rachel's house, setting the spare key in his pocket. Ever since Finn had come in prom night with the spare key, Rachel had told him to just pocket it so he could visit whenever he needed or wanted to.

"Rach?"

He checked the living room and kitchen before ascending the stairs to her room. She was seated on her bed, her legs crossed, hunched over a white box (no doubt Quinn's present), wrapping paper and tape resting around her.

"Hey." He said softly, setting down his gym bag with his change of clothes and Quinn's present next to her door. "How's the wrapping going?"

"I've never been good at gift wrapping." She said softly, not looking up at him. "My dad's always been the one to wrap presents."

He swallowed, slowly walking over to the bed. "Want some help?"

Rachel gasped as she pulled at a sheet of wrapping paper and it sliced along her middle finger, giving her a papercut. Finn frowned and sat next to her on the crowded bed and pulled a tissue from the container on her nightstand table. He gently took her hand and wrapped the tissue around her finger, putting pressure on the cut.

She winced softly and Finn used his other hand to push hair away from her face, tucking some strands behind her ear. "I hate papercuts."

Rachel sniffled. "Me too." She shook her head and still refused to look at him.

"I could take over wrapping duties if you want." He smiled softly.

She shook her head and pulled her hand out of his. "No, thank you." She stood and walked to her closet, disappearing into the small room before coming back out with a red bikini.

"Look, I know you're still upset with me." Finn said after a moment, watching her go into the bathroom with her suit. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking at her bed. She wasn't letting him see her naked…right, she was _still_ really pissed at him.

"I'm not mad." She looked down as she came out of the bathroom and holy cheesus fuck, since when did a simple red bikini cause a hard on to stir in his pants? He cleared his throat and looked her over. The bikini bottom fit her perfectly. It hugged her skin and Finn licked his lips, trying not to think of what was underneath and what his tongue could do to her.

She looked up at him and he noticed she was holding the strings up and around her neck. "Can you tie this for me?"

He nodded, maybe a bit too hastily, and went over to her as she turned around. He took the strings from her fingers and gave them a small tug, making sure the top part of her bikini fit snuggly around her breasts. He tied the strings together into a strong knot.

"Good?"

She nodded softly and turned to face him, biting her lip. "You were right." She admitted softly.

He looked down at her. "About?"

"My dad." She cleared her throat to keep her voice from cracking. "I'm not…facing the truth about what might come and…everyday it's looking more and more likely that he might—might die."

He sighed softly. "Rachel…" He didn't want this. Why did he always have to open his goddamn mouth? He didn't want her to lose hope completely; he didn't want to be the one to _take_ that from her.

"You were just trying to take care of me. I don't always thank you."

"You don't _have_ to." He told her firmly, placing his hands on her shoulders. His thumbs ran over her collar bone.

Rachel looked up at him and lifted herself up on her toes to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She shivered and goosebumps appeared on her skin as he wrapped his arms around her midsection. He smiled softly against her lips, tenderly cupping the back of her head as he kissed.

He stroked her side, making her shiver again. He smirked softly. "Let's get some clothes on you before you catch cold." He kissed her nose.

"I figured you'd say that…or at least use your body to keep me warm."

Finn smirked at her devious smile. "Don't tempt me, Rachel." He playfully smacked her butt. "Come on, we're going to be late."

0o0o0o0o0o0

The air around the pool deck was thick and damp and the chlorine stung Finn's nostrils. Most of the glee club was already there; he could see Artie talking to Lauren, while Mike was holding Tina up on his shoulders in the pool. Quinn was putting presents on a present table, she had just received a giant pink something or another from her cousins. Puck was…Puck was pouring vodka into a punch bowl, Blaine and Kurt were putting their things on a bleacher near a tall, fogged over window, searching for towels and Santana and Brittney were in the pool throwing a large beach ball to each other. He didn't see Sam or Emily anywhere…so maybe him and Rachel weren't the last ones to arrive.

Finn wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders and walked with her towards Quinn at the present table. The tiles were slippery as they walked and he made sure to have a tight hold on Rachel so she didn't slip and fall.

"Happy birthday, Quinn."

She turned and smiled at them, her pale skin in a sexy dark blue bikini. Her hair was pulled back into French braids and she had the tiniest bit of blue (no doubt waterproof) eyeliner on. She was beautiful, as usual…but Finn could easily name someone even more gorgeous.

He smiled down at Rachel as she handed Quinn her present. "There's a gift receipt in case you don't like it."

Quinn gave her a sincere smile. "I'm sure I will." She bit her lip and glanced at Finn before looking back at Rachel. "How…are you doing?"

Rachel swallowed. "I'm okay." She gave her a tiny smile. "Thank you for asking."

"What happened to the luau theme?" He asked, looking over the non-decorated pool deck.

Quinn shrugged her one shoulder. "Not enough money. But Puck helped put up the banners and everything, it's not too bad."

Rachel smiled and leaned back into Finn's chest. "No, it looks very nice."

Quinn smiled. "Yes, well, enjoy yourselves." Finn watched Quinn walk over to Puck to stop him from spiking every punch bowl he could get to. Her 'baby' cousins were there after all.

Finn saw Sam and Emily walk in sometime later and Emily smiled as she spotted Finn and Rachel in the deep end of the pool.

"Hi!"

Finn chuckled, running a hand through his wet hair. "Hey."

Sam shuffled two presents in his hands. "We had car trouble."

Finn smirked as he looked at Emily to Sam; his hair was mussed up and Emily had a conspicuous blush covering her cheekbones.

"Yeah, sure you did."

Emily stuck her tongue out at him. "We'll be in in a minute."

Rachel smiled and watched Sam and Emily walk to Quinn with their fingers interlaced. "I'm so glad that they worked out."

Finn smiled as he watched Sam plant a kiss on Emily's cheek. "Me too. They deserve each other."

"Emily found a good one." Rachel went under the water and went to the other side of Finn, so she was facing him.

He smirked softly as she came up out of the water, her hair surrounding her like a halo since the water was up to her neck. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Yeah? You think you found a good one too?"

Rachel giggled, water trailing down her cheeks. It seemed to bring out the subtle colors of her skin, making everything darker—more sensual. Her cheeks had a darker pink blush scuttling over her cheekbones and her lips, nearly magenta...and so kissable.

"I think I've found the _best_ one." Finn smirked as Rachel leaned in and kissed him softly, water from the pool sliding over their lips.

Finn jumped when a beach ball hit off his head. He turned to see a smiling Sam, treading through the water with Emily into the deep end to meet them.

Finn threw it back and ended up hitting Emily. "Hey!"

Finn chuckled. "Sorry."

Sam swooped in and picked her up in his arms, making her giggle. "How bout we play a game of water polo?"

Emily pouted. "I'm not great treading water for a long amount of time."

Finn glanced over her white bikini (her _lucky_ one; the thought made him smile) and looked back at Rachel. "You up for it?"

Rachel beamed. "Yeah, of course."

"We can play in the shallow end," Sam suggested, throwing a smile at Rachel and Finn. "And we'll take it easy on you girls." He winked.

He set Emily back down in the water and she smiled at Rachel. "Girls verses boys!"

Rachel giggled. "Yes! Gather up everyone else, I'm going to use the restroom really fast." She glanced at Finn, biting her lower lip before getting out of the pool. She hurried to the girl's locker room and Finn swallowed, watching her disappear.

Finn looked back at Sam and Emily and smiled at them. "Yeah, you know what? I forgot to tell my mom what I wanted her to get me at the grocery store—I need to call her. Uh, I'll be right back. You can start the game without me."

Emily and Sam exchanged looks, small smiles on their faces. "Yeah, take your time Finn, your mom deserves your attention."

Emily giggled as Sam scooped her up in his arms, hoisting her over her shoulder to carry her to the shallow end where the rest of the glee club was.

Finn took one look at the glee club, slowly getting out of the pool. He checked to make sure no one was watching him before ducking into the woman's locker room, looking for Rachel. He turned the corner and Rachel gasped as she ran straight into him.

"Finn!" He smirked and put his hands on her shoulders. "You scared me! What are you doing in here?"

Finn bit his lower lip and leaned down to kiss her neck, pulling her closer to him. She giggled softly and ran her hands down his sides.

"Finn," She sighed softly. "Stop."

Her voice didn't match her words so he had no intention of doing that. He slid his hand down to her ass, squeezing softly. She moaned and pushed on his chest.

"Finn, no," She said, laughing softly. "No, wait."

Finn pulled back, frowning softly. "I…I thought you gave me a look to follow you in here?"

She raised her eyebrows. "A look?"

He groaned. "Yes! You…bit your lip and looked at me with your oral sex eyes!"

Rachel burst out laughing, nearly doubling over at the force. Finn sighed, feeling a blush cover his entire body as she laughed at him.

"You…you think I have oral sex _eyes_?"

"Yeah, laugh it up." He smirked and shook his head, not being able to keep a smile off his face as she giggled.

Rachel bit her lip and looked up at him and he gently pushed her back against one of the shower walls on his right side. "You're doing it again." He accused.

Rachel smiled slowly, running her thumbs over his hip bones. "Right, except now, I'm doing it entirely on _purpose_."

Finn bent down to capture her lips in his, moving her into one of the stalls that had a curtain. He pulled the curtain to conceal them and picked Rachel up in his arms to get better access to her mouth. She moaned into his lips, her heated center pulsating against the muscles of his stomach.

Rachel shivered as her back connected with the cool tile walls and Finn pulled back just a little, kissing her lower lip.

"Cold?" He asked.

She nodded and ran her nose over his. He set her down and turned the knob until warm water sprayed from the showerhead. He smiled as heated mist and fog started to surround them, making her shiver for a completely different reason.

"Turn around." He told her, eyes heavy and lidded.

She did so, her hands on the cold tile wall. Finn leaned down and kissed her shoulders, undoing the strings on the top of her bikini. With a flash of red, it fell to the floor, leaving Finn with Rachel's perfectly tan and wet skin. He kissed her back, moving his lips over her spine and slid his hand around the front of her, trailing his fingers along her stomach. She giggled a little as he tickled her and slid his hand into her bikini bottoms.

Her legs spread on command, giving Finn easy access to her clit. His thumb brushed over the nub purposely, making Rachel moan and grind back into him. He gasped softly as he felt her ass run over the hard on in his trunks.

"Fuck, Rachel." He bit out, trying to control himself. He slid his fingers lower and ran two fingers over her opening before pushing them into her.

She gasped as he fucked her with his fingers, curling them up a bit inside her to drag his fingertips over her g-spot (he had no idea why it was called that…she was moaning _his_ name every time he did it so he may kind of called it her 'finn-spot').

When his thumb started to work on her clit, she made a mewing noise that made Finn's eyes want to roll back in his head. He turned her around so he could look at her. Her lower lip was red and swollen; her eyes were black like saucers; filled with lust and need.

"I want to touch you." She ground out, pulling his trunks down without even asking permission. He smirked as she looked down at his cock, tip red and hungry; dripping with precome just from touching her.

"Go head, then." He told her, giving her a kiss on her neck.

His head snapped back with a hiss as she ran her thumb over the head of his cock, reaching down with her other hand to cup his balls. _Focus, focus_… He groaned and his hips jerked into her administrations.

Finn tried to remember to keep his fingers moving in and out of her; so the pleasure was even and smooth. Unfortunately, he was too turned on to even think about stopping from cumming when she rounded her fist and stroked him fast and rough.

He came hard, with a strangled cry, putting his one hand on the wall behind her to support himself as he panted. Finn pushed his fingers in and out of her, kneeling down to give her clit attention with his tongue. She gasped and her fingers fisted in his hair as she came just as hard, knees shaking with the effort of holding herself up.

She panted and leaned against the cold tile walls which, now instead of making her shiver, cooled her heated body down. Finn looked up at her and kissed up her body.

He placed a kiss on her mound, and then right below her belly button, right under her rib cage, between her breasts, under her neck, her chin and then finally her lips. He stood with both arms at her sides and kept kissing, dipping his head to slide his tongue into her mouth.

She gave a soft sound of approval, running her hands down his back. He panted softly as they finally pulled back from one another. Rachel's hair was wet and straying in every direction, some of it pasted to her face. He smiled tenderly, eyes unbelievably soft, and removed the hair from her skin.

Finn ran his thumb over her cheek bone and kissed her forehead before she leaned into his body, hugging him tightly around his mid-section.

0o00o0o0o0o

"What took you guys so long?" Emily asked as the couple approached the group.

Everyone was out of the pool and eating a variety of food for the party; pizza, cold sandwiches and other things to pick at.

Finn shrugged, watching Rachel go over to the bleachers to receive their towels. "Rachel was gone for a long time so I went to check on her."

"My dad called and I couldn't get a signal in the locker room," She handed him a towel and ran her own over her face. "I went outside for a little to talk to him."

Finn thought it was kind of wrong to use her dad as the excuse for fooling around with him but…it was her saying it so he figured it was okay. Besides, no one dared question if she was lying or not, regardless if it seemed unlikely that's what the couple had been doing. It wasn't anyone else's business what they had been up to anyways.

Sam glanced at Emily and smiled, handing Rachel a plate. "We saved you some pizza."

Rachel smiled and sat down next to Sam, Finn joining her on her other side. Finn adjusted the towel around her shoulder, smiling when she thanked him with a kiss on his cheek.

He watched her laugh as Sam told a story about Emily and their first date and Finn chuckled when he saw a dark blush appear on Emily's cheeks. Apparently it had been very interesting for her mom to meet Sam. He couldn't help but place kisses on the side of Rachel's head as she listened intently to the story, eyes wide with what could possibly happen next.

He knew she felt him, however, because every time he kissed her fingers would curl into the skin of his arm just a little.

Just enough pressure to tell him she appreciated his touch. It was times like this where Finn was certain that he'd love her forever and then some.

0o0o0o0o0o

Hope everyone enjoyed :) next chapter will focus on New York and Nationals, which I have some awesome plans for! Thanks for reading!


	29. Chapter 29

Wow, okay, sorry. It's been a while. I hit a writer's block and then lost all inspiration to write for Finchel but jsdfkjkfj here's chapter 29. Thanks to everyone who puts up with my late BS. Love you guys! Enjoy!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Chapter 29

"Finn, put those down!"

"I really think they need to be put in your suitcase." She threw a pillow at him, which he easily sidestepped, and it knocked over a few bottles of lotion on her dresser. "You're a violent packer."

That made her giggle. "Just put them down, they're not coming with me."

"I seriously think that's a mistake." He didn't put them down.

"There's no reason why I would need a pair of black lace panties in New York, Finn." She shook her head.

"I can think of a few… in fact, I'm pretty sure I can demonstrate one or two of them right now…" She giggled as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his chest. He leaned down and captured her lips, kissing her softly and insistently.

She placed her hands on his chest, lifting herself up on her toes to push her lips into his making him groan softly with need—and then of course she snatched the panties right out of his hands while he was distracted.

Rachel smiled against his lips as she pulled back slightly. "Victory."

He gave her a playful glare. "For now Miss Berry, for now."

He let her go, watching her twirl the panties between her fingers as she walked back over to a dresser drawer, pushing the thin fabric back into its rightful place. She may have had the black pair put away, but he was totally pushing a pink lacy pair between her shoes and underwear in her suitcase when she wasn't looking…just in case.

"I can't believe we leave tomorrow for the airport…" She muttered, turning around to look at her checklist next to her suitcase. It was bright pink and had the letters in bold at the top: RACHEL BERRY'S NEW YORK LIST (and of course, a sparkly gold star sticker was next to it).

Finn frowned. "Yeah, it's gross we have to wake up so early."

Rachel smiled at him as she checked something off on her list. "You can sleep on the plane; it'll all be worth it when we get there."

Finn watched her as she said that and sat down next to her suitcase. "You saying that to me or to yourself?"

She bit her lower lip, her list lowering in her hands as she looked at him. "A bit of both." She admitted softly, picking up a shirt and folding it. She set it atop her shoes. "I just…I don't feel ready to leave yet."

Finn nodded softly. "Because of your dad?"

She sighed. "What if he…and I'm not here?"

Finn pulled her to sit on his lap, kissing her shoulder when she leaned back against his chest. His one around wrapped around her waist while the other rested over her thighs.

"He knows that you love him…and he wouldn't want you to miss out on something you've worked hard for."

Rachel turned and rested her arm around his shoulders. "I just want to make it back in time."

Finn shifted gears. "He's a strong man," He kissed her shoulder. "His daughter definitely has that trait." He smiled when a blush spread over her cheeks. "He'll be able to hold on until you're there with him."

"I need you there too, I can't…I can't without you." She swallowed.

Finn ran a hand over her back, leaning up to plant a kiss on her forehead. "I'll be with you every step of the way." He reassured her. "I promise."

She kissed his cheek before getting up to finish packing her suitcase. She leaned on the lid to make sure the zipper could make its way around without getting stuck on any of her clothes. She put her hands on her hips and looked over the fabric like it held some secret meaning; like the suitcase was somehow representing New York and held the Statue of Liberty right beyond the zipper and Velcro, under her shoes and sundresses.

"New York." She breathed. "Nationals." She said it like she couldn't believe it.

Finn smiled softly and nodded. "If you're finished packing I have something I want to do before it gets too late and I'm put under house arrest for breaking curfew…again."

Rachel giggled, taking his outstretched hand when he offered it to her. "Alright, what did you have in mind?"

0o0o0o0o0o

Finn squeezed Rachel's shoulders, guiding her through the grass, the wet dew sliding onto their shoes.

"Finn, where are we going?"

He smiled, looking down at the blindfold around her eyes. "Trust me, we're almost there."

She slid against the grass as Finn tried to lead her downhill. She squealed, arms flailing out. Finn quickly stabilized her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I got you."

She huffed. "Are we almost there?"

He laughed. "I just said that. Almost." He walked her down the hill and made her stop at the bottom. "Alright, just stand there for a moment."

"Are you _leaving_ me here? Wherever we are…?"

He chuckled as he headed back up the hill. "Relax, Rach. I'm not dropping you off in the wilderness to fend for yourself."

He moved to his truck in the parking lot of the park in three long strides as he reached the top of the hill. He opened the back seat, grabbing the thermos of hot chocolate and a thick quilted blanket. He rested the thick blanket on the flattest part of the grass under a large tree and went to grab Rachel before she started yelling at him.

He gently grasped her arms and she tensed. "It's just me."

He smiled and shook his head as he removed the blindfold; he was lucky she hadn't gone all _Charlie's Angels_ on his ass—she'd only done that once before and he really should have known better after that not to sneak up on a Berry. She had turned around and wailed a punch at his face; screaming about pepper spray in her bag. For a little person she packed a hell of a punch; he had had a black and blue mark under his eye for a week.

"I have pepper spray, you know."

He grinned, turning her around and wrapping his arms around her midsection. "At home maybe, but for now, I've got control over you."

She giggled. "Finn Hudson, how dominant of you." She looked up at him with sultry eyes, making him blush.

He shook his head and smiled, pulling back to twirl her once before focusing her attention towards the blanket under the tree. She smiled, going to sit down on the blue pattered quilt. "What's all this about?"

Finn sat down next to her, pulling out a small box from the inside of his jacket pocket. "This is…kinda like a good luck charm for Nationals tomorrow…and for a good flight to New York…because I've been watching that _Final Destination_ movie even though you said I shouldn't and the way that flight went isn't exactly comforting—"

Rachel silenced him with one finger on his lips, smiling softly with a shake of her head.

He blushed when she pulled her finger away; after all this time, he still could get embarrassed in front of her, nervous…flustered.

"Right," He smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, for good luck in general I guess…and for everything you're going through." He took her hand in his and squeezed. "You're not alone."

Finn saw a glimmer of wetness pass over Rachel's eyes but she cleared her throat, throwing a smile at him that felt a bit too forced. He'd let her be strong for now; she needed to be strong…but he hoped she knew that there was a time to be strong…and a time to be weak. And whenever she was ready; he'd be there for her, as long as she needed him.

Her tiny hands took the box from his fingers, skin grazing delicately. She smiled at him and took the lid off the small brown box and gasped at the beautiful contents.

"Oh, Finn…"

She pulled out a silver clasp bracelet with a small circular pendent hanging like a charm on the chain. A small silver heart dangled next to the pendent, an engraving in italics on the circle: _To love and be loved in a big city._

Finn smiled softly and took the bracelet for her, unclasping it and slipping it on her slender wrist. "It's my wish for you, for your future in New York."

"Well, the only way it could come true is if you're there with me." She leaned up and kissed him softly. "To be loved by you in a big city."

He ran his nose over hers, giving her an Eskimo kiss. "Who am I to deny an invitation like that?"

She giggled, her lips smiling against his as she leaned into kiss him. "Thank you for this, Finn." She said after a few moments, watching him open the thermos of hot chocolate. He handed it to her and she took a small sip. "I honestly don't think I would be able to…function right now without your support."

He squeezed her. "Well, luckily you'll never have to know what it feels like to have no support because I'm not going anywhere."

Rachel leaned her head against his chest, smiling into his plaid shirt. "Good to know."

He ran a hand through her hair and bit his lip, looking up at the sky as the rumbling sound of a plane crossed above them. "Did you actually know that I'm afraid of flying?" He asked offhandedly.

Rachel shook her head and smirked. "Then tomorrow should be interesting."

0o0o0o0o0

Finn stood in line for McDonald's French fries. He really didn't care that is was eight in the morning and that most of the people in line in front of him were ordering coffee and breakfast sandwiches. He smelled French fries (most likely hash browns but whatever) and wanted French fries. For a flight to New York that would most likely kill him on route, was that too much to ask?

He nervously tugged at the ends of his shirt, glancing over at the group of tired Glee kids lounging on the bright red waiting chairs outside the terminal for their plane to NY. The flight wasn't supposed to leave until 8:30 but Mr. Schue had made sure to get everyone up at the crack of dawn to pick everyone up, haul them here, get them through security and bag check and made sure they had time to grab food before the flight. Which is what he was _trying_ to do with these French fries, damnit.

He finally managed to get up to the counter and almost threw his carryon bag at the cashier for telling him that he couldn't get French fries, that it was eight in the freaking morning and why would anyone in their right mind want French fries… (alright, so the cashier didn't _exactly_ tell him that but her eyes told all) and that they'd be serving lunch at ten. He grumbled about a few hash browns and ordered a sweet tea for Rachel and paid the evil cashier the money.

Finn waited patiently (sort of) for his hash browns at the corner of the counter, letting other people behind him reach the cashier so that she could smash their hopes and dreams of French fries too. He glanced over to his left to see that Rachel was on the phone, away from the group. Blaine and Kurt were standing next to her with concerned looks on their faces and Finn's heart suddenly slammed up into his throat. He rubbed the back of his neck…maybe nothing was wrong (he had and tried to be positive about things concerning Rachel lately). Blaine had woken up early to drive in with Kurt so that he could say goodbye and good luck at the terminal; which was pretty awesome when Finn thought about it. He knew that Emily had wished she could have done the same thing to say good luck and bon (was it voyage?) to Sam.

Maybe they were all just worried about the plane ride…that's what the concern was about. But when Finn gathered up the bag of hash browns and Rachel's tea…he had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he walked over to friendship trio. Rachel's face had tears on them as she hung up her phone and Blaine gently touched her hand with his, his thumb running over her knuckles. Kurt looked up at Finn and swallowed and before Finn could even ask, Kurt opened his mouth.

"Mr. Berry…the cancer moved to his heart." He whispered.

Rachel choked out a sob, turning into the closest person as her knees shook and nearly gave out. It just so happened to be Blaine and the force of her collapse nearly knocked him over. Blaine swallowed and glanced up at Finn as he wrapped his arms around the sobbing Rachel Berry against his chest, rubbing small circles into her upper back. Kurt came over on the other side of Rachel and hugged her back against his chest, his arms wrapping back around Blaine's waist. The couple squished Rachel between them, holding her close and rocking her just a little from side to side. Kurt murmured soft assurances in her ear as Blaine's hand came up and cupped the back of Rachel's head, clasping her to his shoulder.

Finn watched the scene with a heavy heart, tears unwillingly filling his eyes as Blaine placed a chaste kiss on Rachel's cheek.

Rachel was lucky to have Kurt and Blaine as such close friends and Finn was glad that he wasn't the only one who was going to be there for her through this.

00o0o0o

Finn kneeled in front of Rachel and stroked her knee, Mr. Schue pacing nervously near the group of four. Blaine had taken a seat next to Rachel on her right while Kurt took the seat to her left, touching her arm comfortingly.

"The plane is scheduled to leave in fifteen minutes…" Mr. Schue looked at the group of glee kids across the room. They were all huddled close to each other, talking about Rachel, Finn figured.

"My dad said that…daddy's cancer has metastasized…they found tumors in his h-heart." Rachel choked out; her voice frighteningly hollow.

Blaine put his arm around her, stroking her shoulder. "I can take you to him if you want…I drove here."

Finn nodded. "You don't have to go to Nationals if you don't want to, Rachel. Your father and…your time with him," Finn continued gently. "is more important."

She shook her head and more tears started to course down her face. "I can't just leave. I—we worked so hard, everyone is counting on me to be there too."

Kurt squeezed her arm. "Everyone will understand."

Finn reached up and cupped her cheek, wiping the tears away with his thumb. Mr. Schue rounded from the side and stood near where Finn was kneeling.

"Everyone's right, Rachel." Mr. Schue nodded, sympathy shining in his eyes. "We can go on without you."

"I can't just leave," Rachel wailed. Blaine and Kurt scooted closer on both her sides. Kurt moved to rub her back as Blaine muttered quiet 'shhs'. "I'm the female lead."

Finn rubbed her knee, moving his thumb across her cheek again, trying to pick up as many tears as he could. "Quinn can take over." _I'm sure she'll be thrilled_, Finn thought with an inner eye roll.

"I can't…I can't go without you." Rachel's eyes connected with his and Finn licked his lips. "And I can't…selfishly pull you away from the competition too. We'll definitely lose then."

Finn couldn't help a small smile from spreading over his lips because…what she was saying was just so Rachel Berry. She didn't want to be selfish, which in terms of what she wanted to pull him away from and why she needed him wasn't, but then again she didn't think the rest of the glee club could win without them. They were the leads and the strongest voices in her opinion.

Mr. Schue managed a small smile, shaking his head at the petite girl. "There are other singers in this group, Rachel." He tried to point out gently. "We can manage without you two."

Now Rachel looked annoyed and a tad bit angry…Finn knew to duck for cover when she usually gave him that face but instead he squeezed her knee, letting her know he wasn't going anywhere.

"No," Rachel shook her head again, her voice gaining a bit more strength and resolve. "I can't. My-my dad wouldn't want this; he would want me to be s-strong and do this." She sniffled; Blaine pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to her. She managed a weak and watery smile at him. "He would want me to go and shine on that stage like the star I am."

Finn sighed, glancing at Kurt and Blaine before meeting her eyes. "Rach…are you _sure_?"

She nodded, her hands shaking as she blew her nose. She sniffled when she pulled the tissue back. "I'm sure."

There was enough confidence in her voice that made Finn believe her and he stood, nodding at Mr. Schue for confirmation. Mr. Schue still looked unsure but didn't say anything else; he gave Rachel a brave smile and headed back to the group of glee kids waiting impatiently to board the plane.

"You know, I was thinking," Blaine said, gaining Rachel's attention. "My uncle is a doctor in Florida. Maybe I could call him, talk to him about your dad?" He frowned after a moment. "I don't mean to overstep boundaries or anything but…maybe he could help."

Kurt smiled lovingly at his boyfriend while Rachel pecked him on his cheekbone. "That's very sweet of you, Blaine but…" She sighed softly, looking down at her tissue. "I think it's too late for that."

Blaine shook his head. "It's never too late for a miracle."

Finn nearly rolled his eyes at the cheesy statement but Blaine was trying to help and anything at this point was better than nothing. Rachel bit her lip and Finn was suddenly nervous over the hope swirling in her eyes; he was nearly mad at Blaine for putting it there.

"Your uncle is a good doctor?" Finn spoke up.

Blaine looked at him and nodded, he shifted his body a little to face him as he spoke. "Best in his field."

"In tumors?" Finn asked, narrowing his eyes. "Because that's what we're dealing with here."

Blaine looked down as Rachel's mouth opened. "Finn." She scolded softly. "Blaine is just trying to help."

"I don't want him getting your hopes up Rachel. I want more than anything for his uncle to be able to help but…" His voice faltered as Rachel looked down; her fingers wringing the tissue Blaine had given her.

"My uncle is an oncologist." Blaine said quietly after a few minutes of silence between the group; the only sound coming from Rachel's sniffling. "He's developed this radiation therapy he works through with his patients…look; Finn's right, I don't want to get your hopes up Rachel."

He turned his body toward hers again, commenting on Finn's previous statement. "But I want to help and…I want you to feel like you've done everything you could."

Finn couldn't help the small pent up jealously that was starting to squeeze his stomach; he glanced at Kurt to see if he was having the same problem but…the boy looked hopeful, his eyes swarming with love and affection for the Warbler that had thought of this idea to help his best friend. Maybe Finn was being ridiculous…just jealous that he couldn't have thought of a better plan to help the girl he loved. Why weren't any of his relatives doctors, god damnit?

Then he shook his head and nearly smacked himself upside the face because _seriously_? Rachel's dad was dying and Finn was worried about Blaine getting credit for trying to help?

Rachel smiled at him. "Blaine…I—" She looked down at her lap. "We don't exactly have any money for this sort of thing. My job at Sheets n Things isn't exactly paying me with giant paychecks and I had to take all this time off—"

"Don't worry about the money." He shook his head. "I'll talk to my uncle, we can work something out."

Rachel looked to Finn for reassurance and he swallowed, not really sure what to tell her in all honestly. He heard a woman come over the loud speaker, alerting them that it was time to board their plane. Of course the only thing he needed was time to come up with an answer for her and that was the only thing he didn't have—they needed to get on the plane and Blaine couldn't come with them.

He glanced at Blaine who nodded at him in confidence and Finn sighed, taking one of Rachel's hands before nodding. Blaine was right—she needed to feel like she had done everything she could. She turned to Blaine and pulled out a small pink sheet of paper from her carryon bag, scribbling down her father's number in a rush, handing it to him as they all stood up. Mr. Schue was motioning to the trio insistently, telling them to say goodbye to Blaine and get on the plane.

Kurt hugged his boyfriend, giving him a soft kiss on the mouth before parting. Blaine smiled as Finn shook his head; hoping that was enough to convey how thankful he was for the idea—for the hope that sprung up in Rachel's eyes.

Rachel nearly knocked Blaine over from the force of her hug and he chuckled softly, hugging her tightly before letting her go.

"Thank you, Blaine…even if it doesn't work—" She trailed off and then regained her composure, smiling brightly at him. "You have no idea what this means to me."

Blaine smiled knowingly, placing a brotherly kiss on her forehead. "I think I do." He said softly, nodding.

Finn smiled softly before taking Rachel's hand, nodding again at Blaine before the three of them made their way to Mr. Schue at terminal leading the way to the plane. Rachel laced her fingers with his as they handed in their tickets and made their way inside the plane and to their seats.

They were towards the back, in coach, and the glee club's voices quieted down as they saw Rachel and Finn approaching. He glanced over some people in the group, catching Sam's worried face and Quinn's semi-concerned one. He sat down next to Rachel, letting her take the window seat and quickly secured his seat belt.

Rachel turned to him and rested her body over his, her arm finding its way around his waist as her head rested just below his chin. He turned and planted a loving kiss on her hairline, his one arm circling her back to pull her closer.

"Do you think—?"

"I hope so." Finn answered before she could finish her question. They had fallen into that habit and sometimes she rarely had to ask before he could give her a definite answer. He liked being so connected with her—he liked that she was the only thing that ever made sense. "It was nice of Blaine to offer." He said after a few moments, his stomach plummeting as the sound of the plane's engine starting up.

The smile on Rachel's face at the mention of Blaine's name didn't help his stomach either. But he couldn't really blame her for treating the bow-tie, striped, cardigan wearing, ass-clown (alright, _maybe_ not so much of an ass-clown) like he walked on clouds.

"I'm afraid to hope for anything." She admitted. "But I feel awful if I don't hope just a little bit."

Finn nodded at the lose-lose dilemma, squeezing her tightly to his body. He wasn't sure what to tell her…but he had a feeling that she already knew what she was going to do: hope was infectious, kind of just like cancer, and he knew that all it took was an inkling of it from Blaine for it grow inside her, fill her up from head to toe.

He gently rocked her as much as the seatbelts would allow. "Try and get some sleep, okay?" He told her gently, his fingers winding through her long dark strands.

She managed a small nod before closing her eyes against him, placing a kiss on his cheek before she settled.

His fear for flying was completely taken over by his instinctual need to take care of Rachel. He didn't even notice when the plane's wheels left the ground, taking them higher and higher into the morning sky.

0o0o0o0o0

Finn was surprised that Mr. Schue could afford a bunch of rooms for the glee club in a pretty nice hotel in downtown New York. Rachel was basically bubbling with excitement regardless of the news she had received before they had left Ohio's ground. Kurt had managed to convince Mr. Schue to let him stay with Rachel in one of the rooms while Sam paired up with Finn and the rest of the glee kids paired off with their own sexes.

He was even more surprised when he heard a small knock on his door at one in the morning and opened up to see his tiny girlfriend in her pink, monkey printed pajamas. He shook his head and smiled fondly.

"Hey," He gently ruffled her hair. "You alright baby girl?"

She smiled brilliantly at him and nodded. "Just wanted to see you…" She glanced inside his room to see Sam on the bed, watching TV. "I didn't realize Sam was still awake…"

He smiled softly. "Why would that matter?"

She bit her lip, looking up at him. "Well, I was hoping…" She trailed off, touching the bottom of her shirt.

Finn watched her movements, raising his eyebrows, turning to Sam in the bedroom. "Hey man, can you do me a solid?"

Sam turned and saw Rachel standing outside, smiling shyly, her face nearly the color of her bright pink pajamas. He just sort of chuckled, turning off the TV before sliding up off the bed.

"What room are you and Kurt in?"

She bit her lip. "426, Kurt's asleep…I think mostly everyone is."

Sam nodded and glanced at the two before giving Finn a sly smirk that made Rachel's face alight in an even deeper shade of red. "Try not to get caught, alright? I'll try and wake up early enough to switch back before Mr. Schue catches the both of you."

Finn smiled at Sam and Rachel rolled her eyes as Sam fist bumped him. He closed the door quietly and watched her crawl onto the bed near the window; leaning against the pillow and headboard.

"I…"

Finn swallowed on her hesitation as he sat down across from her in bed. He took her hand in his; his thumb tenderly running over the veins in the palm of her hand.

"I don't want to just do what we've been doing…"

He looked up at her, his thumb pausing on her skin. "You mean…" He faltered. "Rachel, are you sure? It's just, it's been so stressful for you lately, and I don't want you to regret this."

"I've been thinking about this for some time now. I've made a flow chart and a pro and con list—" He chuckled softly; because of course she did. "And I've shown both to Kurt."

He choked on his own spit. "I'm—I'm sure he was very pleased about that." Sarcasm laced over his sentence.

She giggled and shook her head. "Wasn't my brightest idea." She took both of her hands in his and squeezed. "I…I want you to have all of me." Her voice was confident, brilliantly beautiful. Certain. "I'm ready, Finn."

0o0o0o0o0o

He thought this would be going in a different direction.

They were in New York.

Rachel's city. The city made of their intertwined dreams; of their lifelong future together. They were in a fancy hotel, in a room all by themselves, clothes strewn in haphazard places, naked skin sliding against each other's creating friction, heat and the constant electricity that seemed to draw them together from the very moment they sang their first duet.

And yet it was all so wrong.

He panted heavily against her, holding his body up over hers, moaning insistently against her administrations; she was writhing underneath him, her legs opening further and further as she was turned on from the noises he was making. She slid the condom on like a pro; and Finn had to shake his head once to try to get all her exes out of his head. She had practiced on a banana for Cheesus' sake; she had _told_ him that once. Her easy organization had nothing to do with Puck or Jesse St. Jackass or Sam and…why the hell was _Blaine_ in his goddamn head?

This was it.

She was waiting for him.

And he froze.

Like, literally, mid-breath.

"F-Finn?" Rachel asked worriedly, her voice meek—he could tell she was worried she had done something wrong.

No, this wasn't right. He was ready. He was hard. There were no worried thoughts about the mailman, he had control. So why wasn't he moving forward? Why was he frozen like a statue on top of his girlfriend?

"Do you think the people next door can hear us?" He choked out suddenly. "Like…what if the walls are paper thin?"

Rachel's hands covered her mouth before they rested on her entire face. "Oh God," She wailed, the waterworks turning on like a faucet. "You're ashamed of me!"

He nearly laughed because, honestly, this whole situation _had_ to be hysterics because literally everything was perfect and there he was fucking it up. He had to turn his brain off because he was getting caught up in nervous thoughts about how he wouldn't be good enough for her; how this whole thing was just going to end up hurting her and not bring her a single ounce of pleasure. He was worried; he was nervous; he could hear Santana taunting him in his head about his first time and how awful he'd been at it. He couldn't screw this up for Rachel. It had to be perfect. Because _she_ was perfect and deserved nothing less.

"_What_? No! No, Rach, baby, please don't cry." He panicked, gently resting his body in-between her legs. He cupped her face and kissed all over, his lips brushing over her collar bone, neck, chin, cheeks and lips.

Her crying slowed gradually, and he let out a breath of relief as she started kissing him again; her lips gaining speed with want and need. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair and he groaned into her mouth as she felt her core grind into his cock, making him so hard that he felt his entire abdomen ache.

"I'm not ashamed." He muttered in-between kisses. "I'm not."

Her fingers moved to run down his back, her nails digging into his skin. "Then what are you?"

He looked into her eyes as he shifted, bringing himself up, aligning himself like before. He slid into her slowly and carefully, his eyes never leaving hers for a moment, making sure she was alright through it all.

"Yours." He whispered against her lips. "Yours." He repeated as their bodies started to rock, finding a perfect rhythm.

He was right.

Everything was perfect, _especially_ them.

0o0o0o0o0

Alright, so there's chapter 29 :) I hope you all enjoyed, thank you to everyone who has stuck with me. It's been rough! I will have the next chapter up as soon as humanly possible. Totally mean it. Thank you!


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